The Land Before Time Adventures: The Search For The Great Valley
by thesoutherncross100
Summary: After being given a supposedly ordinary Silver Bracelet by an acquaintance from the United States, fifteen year old Richard learns of its true powers and history. Joined by another human about his age, Richard joins Littlefoot on the journey to the Great Valley. (To be deleted soon. For reference only)
1. Two Different Worlds

_Location: Selangor Shooting Association(Malaysia)_

A middle aged man opened fire at a paper target with his AR-15, startling Richard's friend John. Richard didn't even flinch since he was already used to the sound of gunfire. After all, shooting had been his hobby ever since he was 13.

" **Alright, let's see how this old thing performs."** Reaching over to the shooting table, Richard grabbed an old UZI submachine gun he had rent from the armory before loading a fresh magazine into the weapon. **"Uzi nine millimeter machine gun, here we go."**

Despite firing the weapon in short controlled bursts, Richard quickly emptied the weapon's 32 round magazine.

" **Quick ain't it?"** John smugly remarked.

Feeling irritated by his friend's "Smartass Remarks", the fifteen year old Richard turned towards his friend, who was a year younger than him.

" **At least I had fun."** Richard released the bolt on the UZI submachine gun pulled out the magazine before laying the weapon on the table. **"Unlike you, Mr. Pussy."**

" **Stop calling me that!"**

" **Hey, you were pretty terrified of that .22 caliber M4 though."** Richard chuckled slightly, remembering the time when he took John shooting for the first time. **"I mean come on, I shot a shotgun on my first go and I held my own."**

" **Whoa everybody, we have a badass over here."** John sarcastically said with a lame tone. **"He shot a shotgun as his first gun."**

" **Ow shut up you twat."** Richard shot back at his friend.

Having had enough fun with the UZI submachine gun, Richard placed the weapon back into its case and returned it to the armory before coming back to the sidearm range. Being a member of the Selangor Shooting Association gave him many privileges, and one of them was the ability to have a Carry and Use license, which allowed him to carry military caliber firearms whenever he was on the shooting range.

" **What gun is that you have holstered in your Bianchi tactical holster?"** John asked, having noticed a pistol in Richard's holster.

" **A Sig Sauer P226 MK25 with a Surefire X300 tac light."** Richard answered. **"Finding a holster for this was a pain in the ass until I realized it could fit in a P226R holster if I attached a tac light."**

John looked on at Richard with great envy. Sig Sauer pistols had been his favorite sidearms and seeing a friend carry one around gave him a great deal of jealousy.

" **Jealous?"** Richard asked his friend with a grin on his face.

" **Shut up!"**

" **Heh, I still like my retro AR-15 build better though."** Opening a blue pelican case, Richard grabbed his "Retro" AR-15, which he had assembled from a parts kit to resemble an old XM16E1 of the Vietnam War era. **"Check this out."**

" **Needs something sharp."** John fixed an old M7 bayonet onto the rifle. **"There."**

Nodding in satisfaction, Richard loaded a 20 round magazine into the AR-15 and opened fire at a steel target, startling John on the first two shots.

* * *

 _Location: The Land Before Time_

Thunders roared in the sky as a rainstorm struck the land. In the distance, three figures moved through the land which resembled that of Earth 65 million years ago. But these weren't human figures, and they didn't resemble the figures of any modern day creatures. These figures aren't of modern beings. Rather, they were of ancient beasts that had captivated people's imaginations for centuries: The Dinosaurs.

A Struthiomimus crept silently through the reeds near a herd of three resting Apatosaurus. At the tail of the youngest member of the herd was a small nest with four eggs. Three of the eggs were already broken into and the sole surviving egg was also the herd's last hope for the future.

The Struthiomimus crept closer to the nest and noticed that the egg was beginning to move and crack. He licked his lips in delight, if the egg was already beginning to hatch, it meant he had a fully developed hatchling to feast on.

Unfortunately for the Struthiomimus, fate had other ideas. As he got closer, the Struthiomimus grabbed the egg and attempted to make a run for it but was instead smacked in the face by the younger Apatosaurus, causing him to drop the egg.

The egg rolled down the decaying spinal bone of a dead dinosaur and flew off into a small raging river. It continued rolling down off a waterfall before landing on soft dry ground.

Having landed right in front of a group of small creatures, the egg caused them to run away and scatter in surprise. Slowly the egg cracked open, first revealing a small tail quickly followed by the legs. Soon the whole egg broke open, revealing a baby Apatosaurus.

Rolling over its lump, the hatchling took his first breath of air. He smiled innocently and squeaked as he took in his new surroundings.

" **Here I am."** a loving voice said from above.

The hatchling looked up and saw three huge Apatosaurus towering over him. The one in the middle lowered her head and smiled at him.

Starting to feel scared, the hatchling backed away, scrambling to get away. He didn't get very far before getting a lick. Curling up into a ball and hiding under his forepaws, he felt another lick. This time it didn't feel threatening at all, it felt loving and affectionate.

Looking up, the hatchling recognized the huge female Apatosaurus as his mother and licked her snout in return. As he reached up to hug his mother's face, various small creatures emerged to greet the newcomer. Some had flabs of skin coming from their arms and waddled as they walked, while others crawled on all four limbs and had two big eyes. Frightened by the new faces, the hatchling retreated to the safety of his mother's massive legs.

" **Oh don't be frightened."** the female Apatosaurus gently said to her newborn son. **"Come out now."**

The hatchling peeked out from behind his mother's legs. Some of the creatures smiled at the Apatosaurus Hatchling as he nuzzled his mother's leg. The hatchling opened his mouth wide as he yawned. Looking at the small creatures surrounding him, the hatchling jolted in surprise. He tried to get away and stumbled over his feet, apparently walking on all fours wasn't yet easy for the hatchling.

The mother giggled as she lifted her newborn son up by the back, lifting him up onto her back. The hatchling delightfully stomped around on his mother's back before sliding down to his mother's neck.

" **Now you be careful, my Littlefoot."** she said, giving a gently smile.

Littlefoot yawned again as two elderly Apatosaurus gazed down upon their grandson. Littlefoot looked up at his grandfather and grandmother, and squeaked in delight. The elders nuzzled their daughter's son lovingly as Littlefoot nestled into the folds of his mother's skin.

" **Beautiful Littlefoot…"** the mother softly whispered to her son as he slept soundly in the warmth of his caring family.

* * *

 _Location: Leatherman Home_

Having finished his shooting session, Richard packed his rifle and pistol back into their respective pelican cases and walked towards an awaiting Porsche Panamera driven by his father.

Placing the pelican cases in the trunk of the car, Richard boarded the automobile and left the shooting range; headed home.

The thirty minute car ride was uneventful and with the exception of music coming from the radio, it was pretty quiet. So quiet that Richard slept through the entire journey.

Reaching the house, Richard grabbed the two pelican cases and headed in with his father.

" **Honey, we're home!"** his father Jackson called out to his wife.

" **In the kitchen honey."** The scent of grilled meat was picked up by both of them. **"Put the guns back in the cage. Oh, and Richard!"**

" **Yeah mom?"**

" **A friend of mine from the United States sent a gift to you."** Richard's Mother Teresa yelled from the kitchen. **"He thought you'd like it."**

With curiosity getting to him, Richard quickly placed the firearms back into the gun cage and headed upstairs to his room. His family held dual citizenship Malaysia and Canada, and they were living the highlife wherever they went as their father was the CEO of a multinational security company.

Opening the door to his room, Richard noticed a parcel on his table, which he opened after locking the door to his room.

" **My god…"** he thought to himself.

Inside was a nice looking custom made silver bracelet which looked pretty typical. But this was no ordinary bracelet, it was one of the few "Illuminati Artifacts" which were supposed to grant powers to those that wore it.

" **I wonder how much he paid for this"** Richard muttered to himself. **"This is literal Illuminati shit. The real deal."**

Putting on the bracelet, Richard felt a surge of power run through him and decides to test it out for himself. Placing the now empty box on the floor, Richard read the instructions, which told him to point at an object and think of the effects he had wanted.

" **Hmm, let's kill it with fire."** Pointing his finger at the box, Richard put the thought of fire into his mind and the box instantly went up in flames. **"Wow."** Since an indoor fire was dangerous, Richard extinguished the flame by putting the thought of an extinguished fire in his mind. **"I think I can use my powers to good effect."**

* * *

Walking to the backyard of the house, Richard grabbed a few discarded boxes and prepared to test out his abilities. Just for laughs, he decided to point his middle finger at one of the boxes.

 _BOOM!_

A small explosion occurred, jolting Richard for a few seconds. Apparently the middle finger was really "Fuck You", with an explosive twist. Richard's father soon appeared came out from the house into the backyard armed with a shotgun.

" **What happened, Richard?"** Jackson asked his son. **"I heard a boom."**

Reaching his hand out, Richard took the shotgun away from his father using the powers given to him by the Illuminati bracelet. **"Dad, I think Illuminati is confirmed."**

" **You mean your mother's friend gave you a…"** the father took a big gulp before continuing. **"Illuminati bracelet?"**

" **Apparently so…"** Imagining himself to be holding a rifle, Richard aimed his "gun" at a passing bird. **"BANG!"**

As soon as he yelled, the bird fell from the sky and hit the ground, dead from the apparent "gunshot".

" **O-Okay Richard,"** Jackson nervously said to his son. **"Don't kill me."**

" **Don't worry dad, I won't."**

Richard handed the shotgun back to his father, who slings it over his shoulder. **"Have fun with your powers, just remember that dinner is coming soon. And I heard mom is fixing us grilled boar."**

" **My favorite."**

As his father reentered the house, Richard grinned excitedly and grabbed himself a few more boxes.

With more targets to quench his sense of curiosity, Richard had fun the entire afternoon playing with his newfound abilities.


	2. Crossing The Temporal Barrier

_Location: VAT-69 Target Range_

A .338 Lapua round impacted a steel target 1000 yards away, making a dinging noise as the projectile hit steel.

" **Hit!"** the range officer reported.

Richard grinned and nodded in satisfaction, his first shot actually hit the steel ringer set up a thousand yards away. Cycling the bolt on the Accuracy International AWSM, Richard chambered a new round and got off the long range Sniper Rifle.

" **Tell me when you hit the ringer, John."** he teased his friend. **"It's your turn."**

" **Heh, intimidating me?"** John shot back. **"Not a chance."**

The two young teenagers were at a military shooting range shooting some military small arms. They had been invited over by John's friend known only by his alias "Bruno", who was a member of the elite VAT 69 commando unit.

" **God dammit."** John was unsuccessful on the first two shots. Chambering the final shot into the chamber, he took careful aim and fired, hitting the thousand yard target. **"Finally!"**

" **Not bad."** Bruno congratulated both of them. **"Both of you are young, yet you are pretty good shots."**

" **All thanks to you Bruno."** Richard complemented.

Bruno smiled and grabbed the now unloaded Sniper Rifle before placing it back on the gun rack. Just as he was about to grab other weapons for the two teenagers, his received an SMS. There was a briefing coming up in 10 minutes.

" **Well,"** he sighed. **"Looks like we have to end this early. Briefing in ten minutes."**

" **Okay then,"** Richard answered in a disappointed tone.

" **When can we come again though?"** John asked his commando friend.

" **Probably in a few weeks."** Bruno replied. **"Holidays are coming up anyways."**

With that said, Bruno quickened his pace and walked over to the briefing room while Richard and John packed their bags and boarded their respective parents' cars.

* * *

 _Location: The Land Before Time_

It had been five years since Littlefoot hatched, and his family still wandered in search of the Great Valley. They stopped by a row of dead trees with nothing left on them, leaving the Apatosaurus with no choice but to eat the sticks.

" **Mom, is this all there is to eat?"** Littlefoot asked as he struggled to eat.

" **Oh, I'm sorry my dear."** his mother sighed. **"But the land has been changing. That is why we must walk as far as we can each day until we reach the Great Valley."**

Littlefoot attempts to chew on the branches, but he is unable to even consume the bark. Just then, Littlefoot's Mother spots something on the top of one of the dead trees.

" **Littlefoot!"** the mother called out to her son. **"Quickly, come here!"**

Littlefoot ran over to his mother's side and noticed that she was looking up at something.

" **Look, up there!"**

Littlefoot looked up in the direction his mother was motioning to and winced as the sun temporarily blinded him. When his vision cleared, Littlefoot could make out something among the dried up branches. It was a leaf, which looked like a star due to its five points.

" **A tree-star. It is very special."** Littlefoot's Mother said to her son.

Littlefoot's mother carefully plucked the tree-star from the branch and gently lowered it to her son. The young Apatosaurus laughed in delight as his mother gently lowered the tree-star towards him.

" **A tree-star…"** Littlefoot flipped the tree-star over its back and kicked it into the air, giggling as he watched the leaf slowly glide back down towards him. Littlefoot licked the tree-star and found that it not only had a delicious scent, the taste was also delicious.

Looking at their grandson, Littlefoot's grandparents chuckled at the sight of their grandson having fun.

" **It'll help you grow strong."** Littlefoot's mother continued. **"And where we're going, there will be so many of these leaves."**

The Apatosaurus herd begins to move again.

Littlefoot carried his mother's gift with his mouth as they continued the journey.

" **The Great Valley is full of green food like this."** the mother described. **"More than you could ever eat. And more fresh water than you could ever drink."**

" **Gee…"** Littlefoot wondered how the Great Valley would look like. **"When will be get there?"**

" **The Bright Circle will pass over our heads many times,"** his mother explained. **"and we must follow it each day to where it sets."**

" **Have you ever seen the Great Valley?"** the young Apatosaurus asked.

Littlefoot's Mother stopped for a moment, before craning her head over to her son.

" **No."**

" **Then how d'ya know if it's really there?"**

Littlefoot's Mother smiled. **"Some things you see with your eyes, others you see with your heart."**

" **I don't understand, mother."** Littlefoot lowered his head.

Littlefoot's mother comforted her son. **"You will my dear, you will."**

* * *

 _Location: Leatherman Home_

With a loaded Benelli M3 Tactical shotgun leaning against the desk, Richard sat down in front of said desk and began studying a fossilized Deinonychus skull. Unlike his father, Richard was more of a Paleontologist than a businessman and he had a serious interest with Paleontology.

" **Jesus,"** Richard thought to himself as he studied the fossil while also looking through the renderings of Deinonychus. **"If this thing has feathers, it ain't no six foot turkey. It's a literal six foot road runner from hell."**

Placing the fossil back on the table, Richard grabbed the Deinonychus claw his father had gave him as a present, and a block of ballistics gel. With a swift swing, Richard creates a "slash wound" on the gel block. **"A slash is deadly enough, but what's worth doing is worth overdoing and they know it. A kick, a slash and a bite."**

Just then, there was an idea which flowed through Richard's mind, causing him to look at his Illuminati bracelet. He thought maybe the bracelet would allow him to travel back in time to study dinosaurs. Deciding to try it out, Richard put on his "tactical" gear and slung the Benelli M3 Tactical on in a "Over strong shoulder Carry" position before walking to the backyard of his house.

* * *

 _Location: The Land Before Time_

Littlefoot's Mother and a Triceratops named Topsy looked each other in the eye as they picked up their respective children, silently warning each other not to do anything rash. Neither of them did, and the tense moment was broken.

" **Longneck?"** Littlefoot looked over to his mother with a curious expression on his face. This was the first time he'd been called that. **"Mother, what is a Longneck?"**

" **Why, that's what we are dear."** his mother explained as Littlefoot climbed on top of her head.

" **Oh…"** Littlefoot replied dryly. **"Well why can't I play with that Three-horn? We were having fun."**

" **Well we all keep to our own kind."** the mother said. **"The Three-horns, the Spiketails, the Swimmers, the Flyers, we'd never do anything together."**

" **Well, why?"** Littlefoot wanted to know why different species of dinosaurs didn't do anything together. For some reason, the separation between herds didn't feel right for him.

" **Oh don't worry so much."** Littlefoot's mother smiled. **"When we get to the Great Valley, there'll be many many Longnecks for you to play with."**

Littlefoot sighed as he wished he was there now. But there was something else he was wishing for. Littlefoot's Mother noticed a slight change in mood in her son.

" **Littlefoot?"**

" **Well…"** the young Apatosaurus said. **"It's just, I wish I had a friend."**

* * *

 _Location: Leatherman Home(Backyard)_

Richard checked to make sure everything was ready to go. His shotgun was loaded with S&B Special Slugs, and he had carried extra shotshells on his Shotshell holders. In his Bianchi Tactical Holster was his Sig Sauer P226 MK25 with a full 15 round magazine loaded. Two extra magazines were in his magazine holder. He also carried an old M7 bayonet in a M8A1 sheath which he attached on his belt.

With everything prepared, Richard checked to make sure his Illuminati powers were working before putting the thought of time travelling back into the dinosaur days in his mind.

A bright light enveloped him and he left the 21st century in a pillar of light.

* * *

 _Location: The Land Before Time_

" **What was your name again?"** Littlefoot asked a humanoid looking female about his age, who was dressed in 18th century style clothing and clutching a Brown Bess Musket. **"Charolette? Charlette?"**

Charlotte giggled as she heard the young Apatosaurus mispronounce her name twice. She felt bad for him, knowing that he was trying his best. **"It's actually Charlotte."**

" **Oh…"** Littlefoot replied in an embarrassed tone.

At that moment, a pillar of light emerged right in front of them. So bright was the light, it lit up the entire area and caused the herd to turn their heads away. As the light began to fade, Littlefoot and Charlotte peeked over and could barely see a figure inside. When the light faded, they all stood in amazement.

Standing right in front of them was a second humanoid creature, only it was very different from Charlotte.


	3. Welcome To The Land Before Time

Richard turned to his left and right, taking in his new surroundings. One moment he was standing in the backyard of his house, the next thing he knew he was standing on a wide open land which reminded him of the Cretaceous period.

Looking down to the ground, Richard noticed faded footprints left by what appeared to be a large predator. Only it wasn't anything he had seen back in the 21st century, the footprint had three toes and looked like it belonged to a Dromaeosaurid of sorts.

" **Looks like it worked."** Richard thought to himself.

Turning around, Richard jolted back and lost his footing, causing him to fall on his butt. He was shocked, four Apatosaurus stood in front of him; three adults and one juvenile. Richard's mind went blank, all he could think of was the shotgun he was clutching tightly in his hand.

" **Holy fuck!"** Richard nervously raised his shotgun and took aim at one of the large ancient beasts. **"I'm so boned…."**

Seeing the human male in such distress, Charlotte emerged from behind the feet of one of the Apatosaurus, catching Richard by surprise.

" **Another human?"** he exclaimed in shock. **"Illuminati is real."**

" **I see you're pretty shocked."** Charlotte spoke in an old style British Accent. **"Don't worry, we won't hurt you."**

Richard got back up onto his feet and gave Charlotte a good look. He noticed that she was wearing old 18th century clothing and had a flintlock pistol in a holster. Richard also noticed her Brown Bess Musket. **"From the 18th century I suppose."**

" **Yes,"** Charlotte answered. **"My father gave me this necklace."**

" **Let me guess, you found out about its true powers."**

Charlotte nodded, indicating that Richard was right on that statement. **"What about you?"**

" **I come from the 21st century."** Richard dusted off the dirt on his pants. **"Someone gave me this bracelet, and I found out about it's powers. Thought it'd be fun to time travel."**

" **So, you intentionally came here?"** Charlotte asked.

" **Yup."** Richard looked back towards the dinosaurs, having realized that he has yet to introduce himself. **"Name is Leatherman, Richard Leatherman. You can call me Richard."**

" **Charming."** Charlotte remarked. **"I'm Charlotte."**

Richard smiled and gave a nod.

One of the adult Apatosaurus, namely Littlefoot's Mother, craned her headdown and pushed Charlotte away for a bit. She took one good look at Richard, he was indeed very different from Charlotte. From the way he looked and spoke, down to how he looked externally.

" **What brings you here?"** she asked in a female voice.

Richard opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He was shocked that the dinosaur standing in front of him could talk.

" **It's okay,"** Littlefoot's Mother said gently. **"We won't hurt you."**

Richard took a few deep breaths and calmed himself down. Seeing dinosaurs was shocking enough for him, but hearing them talk, Richard was out of words.

" **What brings you here?"** the female asked calmly.

" **Doing research on dinosaurs."** Richard replied, still shaken up. **"Came here the same way Charlotte did."**

" **And you are a human as well?"** Littlefoot's Mother inquired further.

" **Yes ma'am,"** Richard answered. **"I am a human."**

At that moment, all three Adult Apatosaurus turned their attention on Richard.

" **For as long as I have lived…"** an older Apatosaurus with a grandfather like voice spoke.

" **What?"** Richard nervously asked.

" **I've always thought these stories of humans were myths."** another Apatosaurus spoke, this time with a grandmother like voice. **"And here I am, looking at two humans right in front of me."**

Hearing this statement from the two elder Apatosaurus, who were Littlefoot's grandparents, Richard and Charlotte looked at each other with confusion. How could dinosaurs possibly even know of the existence of humans?

Littlefoot, who had been standing at the rear of the herd the whole time walked over to the two humans. He was confused about what the adults were saying but he was more curious about the so called humans.

" **Whoa whoa whoa, hang on a minute."** Richard suddenly piped up.

" **How do you know of our existence?"** Charlotte continued. **"And where are we at the moment?"**

" **Well, we're in the middle of nowhere at the moment."** Littlefoot answered. **"But we're headed towards this place called the Great Valley."**

Standing close to the young Apatosaurus, Richard and Charlotte both found him to be about eye level with them.

" **Wanna join us?"** he asked eagerly.

" **I dunno…"** Richard answered. **"I might, I might not. I don't know."**

" **Well I guess we could."** Charlotte looked over to Bryan, silently pressuring him for a decision.

" **Mother,"** Littlefoot asked his mother. **"Can they join us?"**

Littlefoot's Mother looked at the two humans for a few moments. Different herds usually did nothing together, but they looked like they didn't even have a herd.

" **I suppose…"** she said, looking over to the two humans. **"But only if you two want to."**

" **I'm waiting for Richard's opinion."** Charolette continued to stare at Richard, pressuring him as much as she could.

" **Well…"** Richard thought about it for a moment, they were in foreign land and they had no idea where to go or what to do. This herd of travelling Apatosaurus seemed to know where they were going and being the dinosaur enthusiast he was, Richard couldn't possibly pass off the opportunity to travel with dinosaurs. **"Alright, let's get to this so called Great Valley."**

" **Alright!"** the young Apatosaurus exclaimed. 

Before they knew what was going on, Littlefoot licked them both in the cheek, causing them to wince. The three elder Apatosaurus laughed as the herd starts moving again.

" **By the way, my name's Littlefoot."** the young Apatosaurus introduced himself.

" **Nice to meet you, Littlefoot."** Charlotte replied.

Richard gave a nod and looked down, checking if he had a round loaded in the chamber. **"Alright, it's loaded."**

" **Say, what is that you both have in your hands though?"** Littlefoot asked, motioning towards the long guns in the hands of both humans.

Richard pointed at Charlotte's Brown Bess Musket before pointing back at his own weapon, saying the names as he did. **"Brown Bess Musket, Benelli M3 Tactical. Musket and shotgun."**

Seeing Littlefoot's confused reaction, Charlotte shook her head. **"I don't think he understands those terms."** Charlotte took aim at a nearby tree and fired, creating a small hole in the trunk. **"There."**

" **Wow…"** Littlefoot was amazed at the display of firepower. **"So it's like a thing that makes holes?"**

" **And it kills too."** Charlotte grabbed a paper cartridge and loaded her musket once again. **"But you need to load it after each shot."**

" **Should've told me to shoot."** Richard said dryly.

" **Well, you wouldn't want to waste shot that is slow to load, right?"**

Richard pointed at the Brown Bess Musket. **"One shot right?"**

Charlotte nodded with a look of confusion of the face.

" **Seven rounds in the tube, one in the pipe."** Richard described his weapon to the two. **"Total of eight shots, 12 gauge caliber, inertia driven semi-automatic system. So it will fire with every pull of the trigger."**

" **You mean it shoots multiple rounds without reloading?"** Charlotte thought Richard was talking nonsense. **"Impossible."**

" **Well, Charlotte. I come from the 21st century."** Richard explained. **"Times change and so does technology."**

Looking at Richard, Charlotte could tell that he wasn't lying. His clothes were different and he even spoke in a different accent.

As the herd continued its trek westwards, Littlefoot bombarded the two humans with questions. They had to tell him that the black reeds on their heads were actually their hair, why they both had a bag and that their multiple shades of skin color were actually their clothes and gear.

A few hours into the journey, both humans found themselves struggling to keep pace. Neither of them had walked this far in their lives as they had other means of travelling long distances. Hungry, thirsty and literally gasping for air, the two humans dragged themselves on, ignoring the searing pain in their bodies.

Richard let go of his shotgun, having slung it in a "Over Strong Shoulder Carry" fashion, while Charlotte slung her musket over her shoulder. But the weapons they were carrying soon started to weigh them down.

Seeing his friends struggling to keep pace, Littlefoot ran over to them.

" **Is everything alright?"**

" **Yeah."** Richard answered, still panting. **"Sorry, we don't have the stamina that you dinosaurs possess."**

Littlefoot turned his side towards them. **"You can ride on my back."**

Both humans moved their eyes from the little Apatosaurus' head to his back.

" **What about that leaf?"** Charlotte asked.

Littlefoot looked at the tree-star on his back and grabbed it with his mouth, making it free to ride on. The only issue was, there was only enough room for one of them to mount.

Being the natural gentleman he was, Richard let's up the chance to rest his already sore and tired legs. **"Go ahead Charlotte, ladies first."**

" **Thank you."** Charlotte politely thanked her 21st century counterpart before climbing onto Littlefoot's back with some assistance from Richard. **"Sure you can manage it?"**

" **I'll hold my own."** Richard assured. **"About time I started taking long walks to increase my endurance."**

Hitting his legs a few times, Richard continued his the march with the Apatosaurus herd. Walking alongside Littlefoot, he ignored his pain and pushed on. Warmth filled Charlotte's heart, nobody other than her father and mother has ever given up something for her.

After awhile, the herd came to a stop.

" **Is everything alright?"** Littlefoot's mother asked.

" **Yeah, Charlotte is just tired. So Littlefoot let her ride on his back."** Richard answered.

" **Hey, you were the one to give up your seat."** Charlotte replied. **"Thank you, Mr. Richard."**

" **Ah it was nothing."**

" **I think we should all stop for a break."** Littlefoot's Grandmother looked up at the setting sun. **"The bright circle is setting anyway."**

" **Bright circle?"** Both humans asked at once.

" **Ya know, that bright round thing in the sky."** Littlefoot motioned towards the slowly setting sun.

" **Oh you mean the sun."** Charlotte said.

The moment she said that, the herd of dinosaurs looked at her in confusion.

" **What?"** Richard suddenly piped up.

" **You mean you guys call the Bright Circle something else?"** Littlefoot asked.

" **Yeah."** Richard answered.

" **Maybe you two humans should tell us some stories from the human world."** Grandpa Longneck suggested.

" **We'd be delighted."** Charlotte said. 


	4. Meeting The Terror Of The Land

" **...You mean, your father died in the American Revolution?"** Richard asked the 18th century girl who was a year younger than him.

" **Yeah, and my mother died two weeks ago due to some unknown illness."** Charlotte sighed, life can be so unfair at times. **"I guess coming here wasn't so bad after all. I was nothing more than a drifter back home."**

" **I see…"** Richard felt sympathetic towards Charlotte. Losing a parent was always emotionally hard and he knew how she was felt.

" **What about you?"** Charlotte asked.

" **Father hold a high position within a multinational company, mother is a housewife."** Richard described. **"And yeah… I guess you could say I'm living the high life…"**

" **And there you go."** Charlotte looked over to the dinosaurs. **"Two polar opposites in our world, the rich and the poor."**

" **That was an awesome story."** Littlefoot complemented.

" **Appreciate the compliments young one."** Richard replied with a smile.

Charlotte looked over to the adult dinosaurs. **"Now I have a question: How is it that you know of humans?"**

Grandpa Longneck took a deep breath. **"Well, they say some dinosaurs have encountered weird looking creatures calling themselves humans. They say the humans usually come in a time of need."**

The words of Grandpa Longneck also draws Richard's attention, making him lean forward with Charlotte as Grandpa Longneck continued.

" **According to the stories, only humans with the powers of the so called Illuminati can come to our world."**

Richard and Charlotte were in shock, the Illuminati was indeed very real and on top of that, they were one of the few who possessed its powers.

" **So that's why we were able to come."** Richard looked at his Silver Illuminati Bracelet. **"We have Illuminati artifacts."**

" **Possibly,"** Grandpa Longneck added. **"I wouldn't be surprised that the thing you wear on your hand and the thing Charlotte wears on her neck actually is from the Illuminati."**

Charlotte and Richard looked at their respective artifacts they wore, amazed at the true powers given to them from beyond.

Littlefoot yawned in exhaustion. Looking over to the little Apatosaurus, the two humans both yawned as well.

" **Guess we shouldn't have looked."** Richard sleepily thought.

" **I think that's enough stories for tonight."** Grandma Longneck gently said. **"Sleep well, we leave when the Bright Circle rises into the sky."**

Checking to make sure there was a round in his shotgun's chamber, Richard turned towards Charlotte and finds her sleeping soundly beside Littlefoot. He gave a gentle smile and sat down beside the two sleeping friends.

Though the adult Apatosaurus had advised him to sleep, Richard wasn't planning to get any sleep tonight. He knew certain species of predatory dinosaurs were active in the night and he knew he had to keep the two younger ones protected. In a way, he was their bodyguard, their protector.

* * *

Just before dawn, the urge to sleep was getting to Richard and he was taking 30 minute long power naps every now and then to keep himself awake. A prehistoric dragonfly known as a Meganeura flew around the heard.

Landing on Richard's face, the dragonfly jolted him awake and caused him to flail in fear and yell.

" **Fuck me!"** Richard shouted in shock.

" **What is it?"** Charlotte drowsily asked, rudely awakened by Richard's screams.

" **Sorry Charlotte."** Richard apologized. **"Dragonfly landed on my face, startled the living daylights out of me."**

Charlotte giggled. Despite looking rather tough, Richard was actually afraid of bugs. **"I guess we all have our own fears."**

" **You might be right."** Richard shook his head and looked away in sheer embarrassment.

Charlotte yawned, Richard had awoken her from her sleep and now she was wide awake and unable to sleep.

A frog jumped from a small boulder and landed right in front of the two humans, startling Charlotte and causing Richard to twitch in shock. Shooting it's tongue out, the frog caught the dragonfly. For some bizarre reason, the frog decided to open it's mouth, revealing the small bits of dragonfly remains.

" **Ugh…"** Charlotte turned away, grossed out by what she saw.

Richard shook his head as he watched the frog hop away. Just then, Littlefoot chased after the frog. **"Hey Hopper, come back!"**

" **Really?"** the human male groaned. **"How can he be worked up over something so… so… common?**

" **Well he is still really young…"** Charlotte reminded her 21st century counterpart. **"Come on, let's go make sure he doesn't run into any trouble."**

Giving a nod to Charlotte, Richard got up to his feet and ran after Littlefoot with her. Carefully maneuvering their way around the adult Apatosaurus so as not to wake them up, the two humans find Littlefoot playing with a young Triceratops in a muddy pond.

" **Something's not right."** Richard said.

" **What's not right?"** his 18th century counterpart asked.

" **Triceratops and Apatosaurus never met each other."** Being the dinosaur enthusiast and aspiring Paleontologist he was, Richard had studied a lot about dinosaurs, and he knew what dinosaurs lived in what timeline. **"Why are they doing here?"**

" **What do you mean by Apatosaurus and Triceratops?** Charlotte had no idea what Richard meant by "Triceratops" and "Apatosaurus" as both species were had yet to be discovered in the 18th century. **"All I know is that I'm back in this world of extinct creatures armed only with my Flintlock Pistol and Brown Bess Musket to defend myself."**

" **The one with the long neck, that's an Apatosaurus."** Richard explained. **"And that one with a horn, that's a Triceratops. It'll have three horns when it becomes an adult."**

" **What do you call these groups of creatures?"** Charlotte asked.

" **Long necked ones are called Sauropods, the ones with horns are called Ceratopsians…"** Richard continued down the list, teaching Charlotte the about the various species of dinosaurs and the families they belonged to. **"...All these creatures, we have a name for them starting in the 19th century. We call them, dinosaurs."**

" **Which means?"**

" **Terrible lizard in latin. Quite a misleading name though."** Richard answered. **"They are not true reptiles, but rather, they are their own classification altogether. They may look like reptiles but they are actually warm blooded."**

Charlotte nodded, indicating that she understood what Richard meant. Just then, they all felt the ground beginning to tremble. As the shakes started to become more violent, the two humans could figure out which direction it came from.

" **Guns at the ready!"** Richard yelled.

The two humans trained their long guns at the direction where the trembles came from. A few moments later, a dark olive green colored Tyrannosaurus Rex emerged.

" **Sharptooth!"** the young Triceratops yelled.

" **Charlotte,"** Richard said to the 18th century girl. **"Get the young ones out of here, I'm flanking that bastard."**

" **You're crazy!"**

" **Listen Charlotte, I know the chances of winning a fight against him are slim."** Richard said. **"But I have to distract that monster. Get the kids out of here safely."**

Before Charlotte could say anything, Richard leapt up a boulder and made his mad dash across a small ledge. Gunshot reports from the Benelli M3 shotgun could be heard in the background as Charlotte made dashed to the young dinosaurs.

" **Into that thorny place!"** she commanded. **"In in in! Further in!"**

Apart from the gunshot reports and Sharptooth's snarls, there was eerie silence as the three hid themselves in the thorny forest.

" **I hope he's okay."** Charlotte muttered softly.

" **Where's Richard?"** Littlefoot asked.

" **Fighting Sharptooth."**

Charlotte's statement earned her simultaneous looks from the two young dinosaurs.

" **Well all I can say is good luck!"** the young Triceratops said. **"If anyone makes Sharptooth angry, they usually don't live. By the way, the name's Cera."**

" **Charlotte."** the 18th century girl introduced herself. **"Come on, I think it is safe."**

With Charlotte at the lead, the trio made their way through the thorny forest. Coming up to two separate paths within the forest, Charlotte and Littlefoot took the path on the left but Cera rebelled at the idea and takes the one on the right, prompting Charlotte and Littlefoot to go after her.

" **Cera! Wait!"** Charlotte shouted.

" **You're going the wrong way!"** Littlefoot added.

Before long, the three were out in the open and in the sights of Sharptooth. Hearing Sharptooth thundering towards them, Charlotte took aim with her Brown Bess Musket and fired. A cloud of smoke filled the air as a .69 caliber round ball penetrated Sharptooth's chin area.

Sharptooth roared in pain before shooting Charlotte an angered look. Just then, six 12 gauge S&B special slugs impacted Sharptooth in his back, causing him to turn around.

" **Over here, fuck face!"** Richard taunted.

Sharptooth gave Richard a snarl before following him down a ledge. Swiftly turning around, Richard expected to unleash more lead but his gun clicked empty after firing once. Looking into the chamber, Richard realized he had exhausted the ammunition supply on his weapon.

" **Chase me!"** he said to the monster.

In the meantime, Charlotte, Littlefoot and Cera have met up with Littlefoot's mother, and are now making their way back towards the herd. Sporadic gunfire could be heard in the distance, indicating that Richard was still battling Sharptooth.

Suddenly the ground began to tremble once again, only this time it wasn't because of Sharptooth.

" **Earthshake!"** Cera yelled.


	5. Chased By Sharptooth, Drowned In Sorrow

Loading seven 12 gauge slugs into his Benelli M3 Tactical, Richard dashed across the ledge and made his way back up to flat ground, barely avoiding getting crushed by a falling boulder. A clash of continents was happening right in front of him and everywhere, new cracks formed, dinosaurs were falling to their deaths left and right.

Determined to get Sharptooth off him, Richard fired several shots into Sharptooth's snout just as a boulder falls off a ledge. Distracted, Sharptooth fails to see the incoming danger and is knocked away. Richard seizes his opportunity and escapes the jaws of the beast.

Meanwhile, Littlefoot and Charlotte move through the rapidly crumbling landscape with Cera. Seeing her family on the opposite side, Cera makes a mad dash towards them but the ground under her crumbles away and she nearly falls to her death, saved by her own quick reaction as she jumps back to solid ground.

Cera's father Topsy roared while Littlefoot's grandparents searched around desperately for their loved ones. All around them there was chaos and destruction as everyone tried to figure out where they were and where their family and friends were.

While they continued to run, Littlefoot and Charlotte become separated from Littlefoot's Mother. Suddenly, Sharptooth jumped out of nowhere behind them.

" **Oh no…"** Charlotte remarked. **"Sharptooth!"**

Taking aim with her Brown Bess Musket, Charlotte pulled the trigger but the gun didn't fire, for she had forgotten to load the weapon. Fortunately for them, Richard leapt over a small boulder and came up right in front of them.

" **Didn't I tell you to chase me?"** Richard taunted the mega predator.

" **Richard!"** Littlefoot and Charlotte called out at the same time.

" **Run you fools!"**

Seven gunshots are heard in quick succession in the background as Charlotte and Littlefoot made their getaway. Just then, the ground underneath the two rose up as dust impaired their view below.

Down below, Richard took aim at the behemoth for the final time but before he could fire, the ground beneath their(Richard and Sharptooth)feet collapsed and they fell. Slamming hard against the ground below, Richard loses consciousness while Sharptooth continued to fall, having missed the ledge Richard had landed on.

Charlotte and Littlefoot looked down at the dust covered abyss below, there was no sign of Richard, Littlefoot's Mother nor Cera. Both already in fear, they hugged each other tightly in an embrace, giving each other comfort.

* * *

Slowly, the clash of continents began to die down. Though the ground still trembled, at least nothing crumbled.

The land had changed drastically, what was once a single continent was now divided into multiple sections by newly opened gorges and ravines, some of them untraversable.

A thunderstorm began, drenching the already desolate landscape in cold water while thunders roared in the sky.

Waking up from unconsciousness, Richard kicked away a rock which landed in front of his feet. Loading fresh 12 gauge slugs into his shotgun, he scanned the area for threats before moving on.

From the raised portion of land where they stood, Littlefoot and Charlotte looked down at the destruction below.

" **My god…"** Charlotte muttered softly.

" **Mother…"** Littlefoot looked around frantically for his mother, at the same time hoping that she survived the destruction.

" **C'mon Littlefoot, let's go find her!"**

Racing down from the place they stood, Littlefoot and Charlotte carefully maneuvered their way across the desolate landscape, careful not to slip or bump into the rocks. Sometimes, they had to jump from ledge to ledge but they pressed on in the face of adversity.

Carefully making her way through, Charlotte spots something out of her corner of her eye. It was a dying female Apatosaurus and though it wasn't Littlefoot's Mother, she looked so similar that both of them mistook her as Littlefoot's Mother.

" **Oh no…"** Charlotte softly muttered, she could tell the Apatosaurus was mortally wounded.

" **Mother!"** Littlefoot shouted.

Seeing the two run over to her, the wounded female Apatosaurus tried to tell them that she wasn't a mother, but the wounds she had suffered prevented her from doing so.

" **Mother, please get up."** Littlefoot requested.

The Apatosaurus did nothing. Unable to speak and knowing that her wounds were mortal, she decides to leave peacefully and closed her eyes.

" **Mother… Mother?"** Littlefoot frantically tried to wake up the wounded Apatosaurus

" **Madam! Stay awake!"** Charlotte shouted.

Nothing, and slowly she(wounded Apatosaurus)drew her last breath of air and passed on. Yet another life claimed in this horrible tragedy. But it was made worse for Littlefoot and Charlotte, though she wasn't Littlefoot's Mother, the two couldn't tell due to the similarities. In fact, she could be considered the double or döppleganger of Littlefoot's Mother.

Littlefoot broke down and cried in front of the now dead female Apatosaurus, no longer bothered by the rain or cold. Tears also began to flow down Charlotte's eyes, and she knelt down beside Littlefoot and wept uncontrollably.

Yet, the thunderstorm was relentless, not giving the two a break despite the supposed death of Littlefoot's mother.

Slowly, Charlotte and Littlefoot cried themselves to sleep while the rain continued to pour.


	6. Hope

Richard looked at the massive scar on his right leg, which was still stinging at the touch. He had been ambushed by a pack of Deinonychus and only escaped due to his training in Krav Maga, an Israeli self defense Martial Art. There were blood stains on his shirt and scars were visible on his right cheek, right arm, and the back of his neck.

That was the least of his concerns as Richard was beginning to run out of shotgun slugs, and he now has to picks his fights more cautiously. Continuing his trek, the 15 year old comes across his long lost friends Charlotte and Littlefoot.

Walking closer to them, he noticed their faces were dry, as if they had spent the entire night crying and sleeping at the same time.

" **Everything alright?"** Richard asked in a soft tone.

" **Richard?"** Charlotte and Richard hugged each other, relieved that they've survived. **"How did you live though it all? It was chaos!"**

" **Well…"** Richard took a deep breath before continuing. **"Short answer is I fell and escaped."**

" **I want the whole story."**

" **When you two ran, I took aim at that behemoth."** Richard described. **"Then the ground gave way and both of us fell. I managed to land on a ledge and knock myself out. When I woke up, I dusted myself off and climbed out of the ledge into the open. Thunderstorm was relentless as I traversed the destruction and I needed some place to sleep for the night so I entered a cave. All went well until this morning when three Deinonychus ambushed me."** Richard showed the scars he had suffered. **"Barely escaped."**

" **A true warrior."** Charlotte remarked.

Richard blushed before turning his attention to the little Apatosaurus, who was still weeping and tearing.

" **It's not fair!"** Littlefoot sobbed. **"She should've known better! That was Sharptooth! It's all her fault!"**

" **All who's fault, Littlefoot?"** Richard gently asked.

" **Mother."**

The answer Littlefoot gave hits Richard like a ton of bricks. Tears began flowing from his eyes as he sat down beside the young Apatosaurus and looked up into the heavens. For a few moments, he sat there looking up, pondering and trying to contain his emotions.

Slowly, he wiped away his tears and spoke.

" **Littlefoot,"** Seeing no response from the now depressed Littlefoot, Richard gently nudged him. **"You don't need to blame her, she died trying to defend her son."**

" **Why did I wander so far from home?"** Littlefoot continued to place the blame card, this time on himself. **"It's all my fault."**

" **Aw, it's not your fault, and it's not your mother's fault."** Richard gave the young Apatosaurus a pat on the back. **"The Great Circle Of Life has begun, but not all of us make it to the end."**

" **But I miss her so much…"** Littlefoot said.

" **Then you'll always miss her."** Richard placed his finger on Littlefoot's heart. **"Keep her in your heart and remember the things she taught you. In a way, you two will never be apart."**

" **My tummy hurts."**

Richard shook his head and faintly smiled. **"Well, that'll go in time. Only in time."**

Charlotte walked over to her 21st century counterpart and sat down beside him, she was surprised that he would show emotion. **"They say warriors don't cry, I think you disproved that quote."**

" **Everyone deserves to cry, Charlotte."** Richard answered. **"Even warriors."**

At that moment, Richard realized something: Littlefoot's Mother wanted her son to be in the Great Valley. **"Littlefoot, the Great Valley. Get up on your feet we're moving."**

Littlefoot didn't move, he was too depressed and all he could think of was his mother. Seeing this, Richard gave him a hard nudge. **"What was your mother's last wish?"**

" **Getting to the Great Valley."** the young Apatosaurus answered.

" **Then why are you on the ground crying like a giant baby?"** Richard asked in a rather insensitive tone. **"Are you just gonna stay here and die of starvation? Or are you going to move on with your life and fulfil your mother's dying wish? Tell me Littlefoot! Tell me!"**

Littlefoot sobbed, he didn't know what to say and the human male's voice sounded rather angry. Confusion filled Littlefoot's mind and a big question appeared: "Why is the human mad at me? Have I done something wrong?"

" **What about your grandparents?"** Richard continued to question, trying to motivate the young Apatosaurus. **"What will they say when they find out that their grandson died because his mother died?"**

" **How would you know?"** Littlefoot suddenly shot back. **"You've never lost a mother!"**

" **You're right, Littlefoot."** Richard motioned towards Charlotte. **"But Charlotte, she's lost her mother and father. Look at her, is she sobbing and weeping like you are? No! She got over it, learnt not to dwell on it and moved on with her life!"** Richard comforted Littlefoot. **"If you continue to be this way, your life is over. Get up, and move on with your life. Your grandparents await you in the Great Valley."**

" **Come on now Littlefoot."** Charlotte said. **"We will be with you every step of the way."**

Littlefoot looked up at the two humans. They were both determined to bring him to the Great Valley and fulfil his mother's wish. He thought to himself; if someone other than his own family member was so determined to help him, then he should help himself.

" **Okay then…"** Littlefoot slowly said.

" **Lead the way."** Richard insisted.

With a reinvigorated Littlefoot at the lead, the trio left the area they stood and begun their long journey to the Great Valley.

Though it was filled with many dangers, they pressed on. The Great Valley wasn't just their last chance of Salvation, but it was also their last shot at life.


	7. Cera's Arrogance

As the sun rose up high above their heads, the trio of friends continued their journey through the mysterious beyond in the search for the Great Valley. Richard decides to keep boredom from killing them by showing them his prized Deinonychus claw.

" **Hey… Look what I found…"** Reaching into his back pocket, Richard grabbed his fossilized Deinonychus claw. **"Deinonychus claw."**

" **I see you like to keep Trophies."** Charlotte remarked, apparently thinking that the 65 million year old fossil came from the same Deinonychus that ambushed him.

" **Oh this ain't no trophy."** Richard answered. **"I bought it from someone for around a few grand, rare killing claw."**

Turning towards Littlefoot, Richard noticed the saddened expression and frown on his face. Apparently the claw reminded him of Sharptooth, which also unintentionally reminded him of his mother. **"Don't worry Littlefoot, the one who bore this claw is long dead."**

Littlefoot got closer to the male human and looked closely at the claw held in his right hand. This was the first time he'd seen the weapon his adversaries had used. **"Does Sharptooth have the same claws?"**

" **No."** Richard answered. **"Sharptooth's claws are much bigger than this, though he can't use his claws for hunting."**

" **Why?"** Littlefoot and Charlotte asked simultaneously.

Placing the claw back in his back pocket, Richard did a Sharptooth impression and pretended that his hands were short and stubby. He used a funny sounding accent for comedy purposes. **"Harp! I hab tiny hans…"**

All of them burst out laughing, something which they hadn't enjoyed for awhile. Before long, they find themselves walking along the edge of a gorge which blocked their path.

" **We can't cross that, no way no how."** Looking down into the gorge, Richard couldn't even see the bottom. **"Too deep."**

" **Maybe we should go around and find something to cross it with?"** Charlotte suggested.

" **That was kinda the idea I had in mind."** Since his eyesight wasn't so good, Richard decides to utilize the better eyesight of the young Apatosaurus. **"Littlefoot, see anything in the distance? Like a fallen tree trunk or log?"**

" **No."** Littlefoot dryly replied.

Grabbing a compass from his pocket, Richard breathed a sigh of relief. **"At least the gorge ain't blocking our path. Westward is this way."**

" **They still use compasses in the 21st century?"** Charlotte asked.

" **Oh no we don't, this is an antique."** Richard sarcastically answered. **"We can tell direction just by sniffing the air."**

Charlotte giggled, she was amused by Richard's sense of humor and sarcastic attitude. **"You sure know how to make people laugh, don't you?"**

" **They say laughing prolongs one's life."** Richard explained. **"Laughter creates protective hormones."**

" **Ahh I see."** Charlotte replied.

" **Cera!"** Littlefoot suddenly shouted.

Turning in the direction of the young Apatosaurus, the two humans noticed him running up to a young Triceratops, a fairly familiar young Triceratops. Richard and Charlotte ran and caught up with the two young dinosaurs.

" **What do you want?"** Cera scoffed.

" **Nothing."** Littlefoot politely answered. **"Where are you going?"**

" **I'm going to find my own kind!"** Cera replied. **"They're on the other side."**

" **Ain't no way you're crossing that."** Richard piped up. **"No logs, no bridge, gorge is too deep."**

" **Maybe you can't!"** Cera glared at Richard for a moment. She could see his scars of battle and she felt her words might not have been appropriate. **"What's with the scratches?"**

" **I fight…"** Richard calmly answered in a rather dark tone. **"A lot."**

Cera said nothing and instead slowly made her way down onto a ledge within the ravine. She screamed as she nearly lost her footing.

" **Cera wait! Richard, Charlotte and I are headed to the Great Valley."** Littlefoot said. **"Maybe we could uhm…"**

Cera screamed again as she lost her footing.

" **Help each other."** Littlefoot finished.

" **A Three-horn, does not need help from a Longneck!"** Cera grunted as she made her way back up the ledge. She stuck her tongue out and kicked dirt into the faces of Littlefoot, Charlotte and Richard, only to lose her footing and slide down into the bottom of the gorge.

" **Well at least you won't be alone!"** Littlefoot shouted down from above.

" **When I find my family I won't be alone!"** Cera sneered. **"So go away! Three-horns can be very dangerous!"**

Hearing no response from the young Apatosaurus, Cera disappeared into the darkness.

" **Knock it off Littlefoot,"** Richard advised. **"Her arrogance isn't something we want to deal with. Besides, she's a jackass."**

" **Richard, name calling isn't very polite."** Charlotte reminded.

" **I know, Charlotte."** Richard answered. **"But what's the point of being polite to rude individuals like her?"**

" **That's what most of us think."** Charlotte replied. **"But if you want others to respect you, you must first respect others."**

" **You do have a point."** Richard looked down at the lock of Charlotte's musket and noticed that the hammer was lowered, as if it had been fired. **"Load your musket, it's empty."**

" **Ow uhm…"** Charlotte grabbed a paper cartridge from her pouch and loaded the weapon. The process was a slow one, taking her 20 seconds to finish loading and priming. **"I wish there was a quicker way."**

" **That is still some time away for your people."** Richard explained. **"It really started to go up in the 1840s but it was during the 1850s and 60s when things took a big change. Paper cartridges gave way to the self contained cartridge."** Grabbing one of his Sig Sauer P226 MK25 magazines, Richard showed Charlotte what a self contained cartridge would look like.

" **That means multiple shots without reloading."** Charlotte remarked.

" **Exactly."** Richard wagged a finger at his 18th century counterpart. **"Come on, let's get moving."**

With Littlefoot once again at the lead, the trio continued their trek towards the Great Valley as the sun slowly starts to set. Before long, they find themselves blocked by a massive cliff.

" **What now?"** Littlefoot asked. **"I can't climb this mountain."**

" **I don't think any of us can."** Charlotte added.

" **Hmm…"** Richard scanned the area and noticed a rocky path around the mountain. **"I'd say we go that way."**

" **Lead the way then."** Littlefoot said.

Looking at the path one last time to make sure it was stable enough to cross, Richard led Charlotte and Littlefoot though the mountainous area, careful of his footing so as not to step off the path and into the abyss below.

Reaching the other side, Richard was checking their bearings when Littlefoot noticed his shadow and mistook it for his mother.

" **Mother!"** Littlefoot happily shouted. **"Mother wait!"**

" **Littlefoot, that's…"** Charlotte attempted to correct the little Apatosaurus

" **Don't! Charlotte."** Richard stopped her. **"Let him be. Sooner or later he'll get over it."**

Rushing over to his own shadow, Littlefoot licked it, only to find out that he was licking at the mountainside and not his mother. A frown returned to the young Apatosaurus' face as he comes to terms with the truth; His mother was no longer beside him.

" **It's okay Littlefoot."** Charlotte wrapped her hand around Littlefoot's neck and comforted him. **"She's still with you, in your heart."**

Following the clues given to them by Littlefoot's Mother before the earthquake, Richard determined the direction they must go using his compass **"Come on now, west is this way."**

" **Don't worry Littlefoot."** Charlotte assured. **"We will be with you every step of the way, just like we always have."**

The young Apatosaurus nodded. Though he was still sad about the supposed death of his mother, Littlefoot knew for certain he wasn't alone.


	8. The Warrior

Trudging through the desolate landscape of the mysterious beyond, Littlefoot, Richard and Charlotte were starting to feel the strain. Having travelled non stop for several days, their feet were sore and they were hungry and dehydrated. Finally, they reached an oasis of sorts where trees grew and water was ample.

" **Oh look…"** Richard pointed at the oasis with his finger. **"A place to rest and recuperate."**

" **I guess we should stop."** Charlotte suggested. **"There's no telling when or if we'll ever find some place like this again."**

Littlefoot walked over to the water's edge with Charlotte to quench their thirst while Richard took the job of providing security, being the most heavily armed member of the group. Deciding to scout out the location for possible threats, Richard walked off into the brush.

" **Where's Richard going?"** Littlefoot asked.

" **He said he wanted to check for Sharpteeth."** Charlotte answered. **"No idea why."**

Just then, a young Saurolophus emerged from underneath the water, having noticed the two by the water's edge.

" **Hello."** she greeted.

Littlefoot and Charlotte both turned their attention to the young Saurolophus.

" **Hi there,"** Charlotte replied. **"I'm Charlotte and this is Littlefoot."**

" **I'm Ducky."** the young Saurolophus introduced herself.

A mix of hisses and snarls sounded nearby, drawing the attention of the trio. Slowly, Richard emerged from a bush with his M7 bayonet at the ready.

" **Richard, what's going on?"** Charlotte asked.

" **Stand behind me."** Richard ordered. **"We have some unwelcome visitors."**

Though they were confused at Richard's request, the three complied and stood behind the 15 year old. A few moments later, three vicious looking Deinonychus emerged from the bushes, all looking as if they were ready to attack.

" **Come at me."** Richard taunted.

Using the supernatural powers of his Illuminati bracelet, Richard played "Bad Company" by the rock band Five Finger Death Punch in the background.

" **What is that noise?"** Littlefoot asked.

" **No idea."** Charlotte replied.

One of the Deinonychus suddenly leaped at Richard, attempting to pounce on him. Richard dodges the attack and takes down the Deinonychus, finishing his foe with a quick stab to the heart.

Now going on the offensive and with rock music giving him the added psychological edge, Richard swiftly strikes the remaining two Deinonychus. Recovering from the attacks, the two Deinonychus attempt to gang up on him. Richard quickly stabs one of them but the other gets the jump and slashes him in the left cheek.

With rage flowing through his body and adrenaline pumping through his veins, Richard tackles the Deinonychus into the water and pins its head underwater.

" **How does the water taste?"** Richard coldly remarked as he watches the Deinonychus bubble and choke in the water.

Slowly, the Deinonychus stopped struggling. Water had filled its lungs, ending the life of the predatory dinosaur.

Having eliminated the threats to the security of the group, Richard turned his attention to the them.

" **Everyone alright?"** Richard asked. **"No scratches or anything right?"**

" **We're okay."** Littlefoot answered.

Richard breathed a sigh of relief. He placed the M7 bayonet back in his M8A1 sheath attached to his belt. **"Those three came at me from the brush. Thank god I knew Krav Maga or I'd be dead."**

" **What's that?"** Charlotte inquired.

" **Martial Art."** Richard replied. **"Incredibly efficient combat skill originating from the Jewish State of Israel."**

" **I see they were liberated from the Ottomans."** Charlotte remarked.

" **Yes. Oh and I think I've yet to formally introduce myself to the young Saurolophus over there."** Richard turned his attention to Ducky. **"Name is Leatherman, Richard Leatherman; Call me Richard."**

" **Nice to meet you, Richard."** Ducky noticed the scar on Richard's left cheek, which was still bleeding. **"Are you gonna be okay? That scratch there looks bad."**

Richard touched his left cheek and saw blood on his fingers. **"Just a bad cut, I'll live."**

" **Nice moves you got back there."** Charlotte looked at Richard for a moment, the scar looked pretty impressive yet Richard didn't even notice it. **"A true warrior indeed."**

Richard blushed and gave a smile. Hearing that the rock music was still playing in the background, he ended it with Illuminati powers.

" **Say…"** A question suddenly appeared in Ducky's mind. **"I know Littlefoot is a Longneck but, what are you two?"**

" **We're humans."** Charlotte answered.

Richard reached for his compass once again as he checks their bearings. **"On me, west is this way."**

Using the water to wash his wounds clean, Richard rallied the others and led them out of the oasis. Walking along a rocky path flanked by two cliffs, the four friends continued their journey to the Great Valley.

But it wasn't long before their stomachs began growling.

" **My tummy is talking."** Ducky giggled as her stomach began growling.

" **Mine too."** Littlefoot added.

Richard pointed at a leafy vine. **"That vine thing over there might suit you."**

" **Are you sure it is edible?"** Charlotte asked.

" **Wouldn't hurt to try now, would it?"** Richard shot back.

Reaching up to the leafy vine, Littlefoot grabbed it with his teeth and shook it hard, hoping to get some of the leaves off. But as soon as he did that, there was a scream.

" **Oh…"** Ducky gasped. **"The tree is talking. You should not eat talking trees! Nope nope nope!"**

" **No it isn't."** Littlefoot mouthfully responded.

" **Probably small creatures hanging on for dear life."** Richard suggested.

Suddenly, a small Pteranodon tumbled down from the branch, landing on Littlefoot's face. He gave a sheepish smile in an attempt to calm Littlefoot down but it did little. The young Apatosaurus screamed in shock, releasing the vine and catapulting the Pteranodon into the air.

He screamed and flapped his wings comically in the air as he tried to stabilize himself to no avail. He slams though the ground, creating a hole of sorts.

Ducky hid behind Charlotte's leg while Richard walked over to investigate.

" **Hello there…"** Richard reached inside the hole with his hand. **"We won't hurt you."**

Grabbing Richard's hand, the young Pteranodon climbed out of the hole.

" **What's your name?"** Ducky asked.

" **M-My name's Petrie."** he answered, still shaken up from the ordeal.

" **Petrie huh?"** Charlotte giggled. **"Funny name."**

" **I-I fly?"** Petrie asked.

" **Yeah you did, it was so graceful."** Richard sarcastically answered. He did a plane crash motion with his hand to empathize that he was in fact being sarcastic. **"Fell like a ton of stones."**

" **I fall?"** Petrie collapsed on the ground and whimpered.

" **But you're a flyer,"** Littlefoot said. **"Not faller."**

" **Hard thing to fly."** Petrie spread his wings and prepared for a take off of sorts. He leapt into the air and flapped his wings as hard as he could. But after reaching a few feet, Aerophobia settled in and he panicked, causing him to land hard on his back.

" **I guess it is,"** Littlefoot remarked. **"We can't do it."**

" **Nope nope nope."** Ducky added.

Petrie crosses his arms and pouts.

" **We're headed to the Great Valley,"** By looking at the young Pteranodon, Richard could tell he was separated from his family. **"Wanna come along?"**

Petrie nodded and climbed onto Littlefoot's back. Looking over the horizon, they could see that the sun was setting, indicating that they were going in the right direction. But the setting sun also indicated that night was approaching and that meant they had to quicken their steps before the darkness impaired their vision.

Richard raised his hand in the air and waved in large horizontal circles, apparently forgetting that neither of them had seen military hand signals.

" **What are you doing?"** Charlotte asked.

" **Oh wait."** Richard facepalmed himself, he felt like an idiot for his actions. **"You guys don't know military hand signals. Alright, rally up we're moving."**


	9. Cera's Return

Littlefoot, Richard, Charlotte, Ducky and Petrie continued their trek through the mysterious beyond. Darkness had long since fallen and they were starting to have trouble seeing. Ambushes were also fairly common, though Richard thwarted both of them with his Benelli M3 Tactical Shotgun and Krav Maga skills.

" **See a place to settle down yet?"** Richard asked. He was already growing tired and grumpy.

" **I can't see a thing."** Littlefoot answered.

" **God dammit…"** Reaching for his Bianchi Tactical Holster, Richard pulled out his Sig Sauer P226 MK25 and switched on the tac light attached to the weapon system. **"Everything is out to get us tonight. EVERY FUCKING THING!"**

" **Calm down now Richard."** Charlotte comforted Richard. **"Keep your sanity together."**

" **I get ya."** Richard pointed his pistol to the right and spots a nearby cave with the help of the tac light attached to his pistol. **"Cave. We can rest there."**

The four friends walked into the cave. It was eerily quiet, too quiet for some of them. Pretty soon, they figured out why.

" **Get down!"** Littlefoot whispered.

" **Stay behind this piece of cover."** Richard calmly ordered. **"Charlotte ready your musket. I'll be flanking this motherfucker."**

" **Flanking? Are you out of your mind?"** Charlotte thought Richard was nuts. **"We don't even know whatever made that sound is."**

" **It's a hiss."** Richard replied. **"Which means it is a reptile of sorts."**

" **And?"**

" **Pretty easy to face…"** Richard shook his head in frustration. **"Just get down and hide, shoot him if necessary."**

Shining his weapon light towards a concealed path, Richard gave the others a clue of where he was going before running off into the darkness.

Using the top of the boulder they were taking cover behind as a support for her musket, Charlotte scanned the area for threats, hoping to find whoever made that hissing sound. Before long, she spotted her target: a Dimetrodon 75 yards in front of her.

" **Richard was right…"** Charlotte muttered to herself. **"It was a reptile."**

Charlotte lined up the sights of her Brown Bess Musket on the Dimetrodon and pulled the trigger. A loud gunshot report thundered through the area accompanied by a smoke cloud from Charlotte's position.

When the smoke cleared, Charlotte was horrified to find that she had missed her target due to the musket's inaccuracy. With a loud snarl, the Dimetrodon prepared to charge her when Richard emerged from behind.

" **Hey asshole!"** Richard yelled. **"Behind you!"**

Richard quickly aligned the sights of his Sig Sauer P226 MK25 pistol on the Dimetrodon as it turned around. With a swift double tap(two quick shots)to the head, he downed the Dimetrodon.

" **Target neutralized."** Richard decocked his pistol and placed it back in his Bianchi Tactical Holster. **"And that's how you deal with them."**

" **That look on your face."** Charlotte commented. **"Emotionless and cold."**

" **You can't show an ounce of emotion when you're killin."** Richard replied. **"That my father taught me."**

" **Hunters I see."** Charlotte remarked.

Richard raised his hand and waved it in large horizontal circles, by now everyone had understood that particular military signal and they all gathered around him.

" **Let's g…"** A scream from within the cave interrupted Richard. **"What was that?"**

" **Sounds like somebody is screaming."** Ducky said.

Turning in the direction of the screams, Richard noticed Cera running towards them, seemingly trying to escape something or someone. They all jumped out of the way as Cera rams into the Dimetrodon carcass.

" **Cera!"** Littlefoot exclaimed. **"It's you!"**

Cera panted and caught her breath before pushing Littlefoot away. **"Get off me!"**

" **Well you look frightened."** Richard impishly commented. **"Frightened by a predator? Theropod perhaps."**

" **Me? Frightened?"** Cera laughs Richard's statement off. **"You should be frightened though."**

" **Why would you say that?"** Charlotte asked.

" **I… Saw… Sharptooth!"** Cera exclaimed.

" **Sharptooth!"** Petrie clamped tightly onto Littlefoot's face while Ducky hid behind the legs of the young Apatosaurus.

" **Cera! Knock it off!"** Littlefoot said. **"Sharptooth is dead, he fell into the big underground!"**

" **My father told me flat teeth had very small brains."** Cera scoffed.

" **Well according to my research, Triceratops like you are pretty tough."** Richard shot back insensitively. **"Perhaps that is why you're saying that. You want to look tough like you father."**

Cera looked on at the 15 year old human male with a great deal of anger and rage. In every encounter with Littlefoot's group, he was the only one daring enough to throw the offensive words out.

" **What?"** Richard sneered. **"Jealous of my fighting skills?"**

" **You are just trying to make me look bad."** Cera snarled. **"By saying I'm lying and all."**

" **That's because you are lying."**

Littlefoot looked at Richard as if he just said a swear word. Though Richard was a frequent swear word user, shooting doubts at a Triceratops was a whole different animal. Only those with a death wish would call a Triceratops a liar.

" **And by my calculations…"** Richard acted as if he was calculating a maths question. **"You are a coward."**

That did it, Cera roared and charged right at Richard. But Richard's proficiency in Krav Maga was quickly demonstrated as he jumped out of the way and tackled Cera to the ground.

" **Fail."** Richard taunted.

Cera regained her footing and charged Richard once again but is instead sent flying. She hits the opposite side of a plank Ducky was standing on and slingshots her into the air.

All eyes were on the little Saurolophus as she flew through the air screaming. She disappeared into the cave.

" **Oh great…"** Richard sighed. **"Come on, let's go find her."**


	10. Richard's Four Toothy Sons

" **Ducky!"** Littlefoot shouted.

The group followed the path Ducky had taken while airborne in an attempt to relocate her. Richard used his M7 Bayonet to hack a path through the dense vegetation for the others while Charlotte was at the tail end of the group providing security.

" **About time!"** Cera snorted.

" **Oh, like you were doing anything beneficial to the group."** Richard calmly shot back. **"Asshole."**

" **What did you just call me?"** Cera snarled angrily at the 15 year old male human.

" **I called you an asshole."** Richard calmly hacked through a few more trees before continuing. **"An insult to describe someone who is stupid and incompetent."**

Cera growled at Richard to show her displeasure.

" **Now there Richard, please stop the insults."** Charlotte requested. **"Everyone is just tense after a long day."**

" **Yeah sure…"** Richard suddenly sensed something from the nearby bushes. **"Charlotte you take point, I think someone might be around here."**

" **Okay…"**

Placing his M7 bayonet back in his M8A1 scabbard, Richard disappeared into the bushes with his Benelli M3 shotgun at the ready.

" **Where is he going now?"** Cera groaned.

" **He said he was checking to make sure the path was safe."** Littlefoot answered.

Before long, the dense brush was getting hard to navigate or even move through without someone hacking away the branches and leaves. To make life easier for the group, Charlotte drew her concealed dagger and began hacking the path, taking up the job once filled by Richard.

However she was so concerned about hacking a path through that she failed to notice a large object in front of her foot; she tripped and fell as she didn't lift her foot high enough.

" **OOF!"**

From behind, Cera burst out laughing. The scene or "epic fail" was indeed quite amusing and even Littlefoot and Petrie were struggling to hold back a laugh.

Charlotte took the fail like a good sport, she smiled and wiped the dirt and grit off her mouth and face without saying anything.

" **Charlotte! You just stepped on Spike! Yes you did, yep yep yep!"** Ducky exclaimed.

" **Spike?"**

" **The Spiketail."** Ducky pointed at a young Stegosaurus hatchling

Charlotte looked back and spotted a young Stegosaurus hatchling. She had been so focused about getting out of the forest that she failed to notice the hatchling. Now having tripped over it, she had awoken it from its peaceful slumber and it was looking back at her.

Everyone looked at the young Stegosaurus. He was a male, recently hatched and he looked rather dreamy, as if still off in his little world.

" **I told him he could come with us to the Great Valley."** Ducky said.

" **No!"** Cera raised her voice. **"We already have a lot of mouths to feed and adding him into our herd is a bad idea. Spiketails eat a lot and we won't get a chance to take our share before he eats it all up."**

" **That's not fair!"** Littlefoot protested.

" **My father told me different herds never did anything together."** Cera rebutted. **"And I intend to keep it that way!"**

" **He's coming with us!"** Charlotte angrily glared at the young Triceratops. Though she was usually cool headed, Charlotte was also starting to get frustrated at Cera's arrogant behavior.

" **Whoa there, calm down!"** a voice came from the bushes. **"Give me a hand here I'm all full."**

Turning in the direction of the bush, Charlotte and the young dinosaurs spot Richard emerging from the dense brush. Only this time he had company.

" **Someone give me a hand here?"** Richard grinned.

Petrie and Ducky hid behind Littlefoot, who in turn hides behind a rock, while Cera screamed and covered her face with her paws. It wasn't Richard who scared them. Rather, it was the four creatures Richard was cradling which scared them. They were young Deinonychus, and by the looks of it, they've only hatched for a few weeks.

" **What? Nobody's ever seen me doing this?"** Richard sneered with a grin on his face.

" **Richard…"** Charlotte motioned towards the four Deinonychus in Richard's arms. **"Why are you walking around with dinosaurs?"**

" **Saw them all alone standing next to their parents' bodies."** Richard explained. **"I couldn't bear to see them without a parent so I took them in."**

" **Ahh I see."** Charlotte replied.

" **Featherless Deinonychus, now that is weird."** Richard added. **"They say all Dromaeosauridae have feathers. That means they were either wrong or we're in a different realm."**

Slowly, the young Dinosaurs emerged from their respective cover positions and walked over to the two humans. The predatory dinosaurs Richard was cradling weren't doing much. Well, they did annoy Richard by their silly little antics and by clamoring around him.

" **Okay now,"** Richard placed his hand over the mouths of each Deinonychus to silence them. **"Shush now, we don't want to attract the big ones to nom us, right?"**

" **Richard…"** Littlefoot was amazed at the 15 year old male human's ability to seemingly tame a predatory as fearsome as Deinonychus. **"How d'ya do that?"**

" **Simple, you just be their Alpha or leader."** Richard answered. **"They don't call me the animal whisperer without a reason my friend."**

" **Heh, sooner or later somebody is getting bit in the cheek."** Cera blankly stated.

For some reason, either it was a stroke of luck or fate decided to play along, it happened. Barely a few seconds after Cera said that, one of the Deinonychus gave Richard a love nibble in the right cheek.

" **Okay Delta,"** Richard smiled, the bite warmed his heart instead of giving him pain. **"Enough nibbling on my face."**

" **Does it not hurt?"** Ducky asked. She points towards the small bite mark left by Delta's nibble.

" **All the pain is neutralized by their cuteness."** Richard winked at the young Saurolophus. **"Let's get moving, we have a Great Valley to go to."**

Stomping his feet hard on the ground to rally the "combined herd", Richard once again took the lead and led them on the journey. To keep Spike from falling behind, Ducky hung some berries over Littlefoot's tail to draw the attention of the Stegosaurus hatchling.

* * *

The "combined herd" continued its trek through the mysterious beyond. Most of them stuck together, with the exception of Cera, who preferred to walk ahead and was usually not up for much conversation. Eventually, they stood before a small flowing stream of water.

While Charlotte and the young dinosaurs head off to find vegetation for the young dinosaurs to eat, Richard and his adopted Toothy sons looked into the stream for food.

" **Fish… Reminds me of Salmon."** Richard muttered to himself. **"Not sure if it'll kill us if we eat it."**

" **I'll try, dad."** one of the Deinonychus volunteered. Named Blue after Jurassic World's heroic Raptor Squad member Blue, he was already establishing himself well as the second in command of the pack.

Dunking his head under the water, Blue looked around and grabbed a medium sized fish which resembled a trout. **"I think this is fine."**

" **That's trout!"** Richard remarked. **"Alright, I think we know what to eat."**

Using his M7 bayonet as a spear, Richard caught a trout of his own while the other young Deinonychus jumped into the water to catch their own meal. Though they were playing more than they were catching fish.

" **Delta, Charlie, Echo! Catch your own meal!"** Richard wanted his young adoptive Deinonychus to be independent and not be couch potatoes waiting for their next meal. **"I'm not responsible if you starve."**

The three young predators stopped playing around in the water and dove under to catch their meal before joining Richard and Blue by the bank of the stream.

" **Daddy, is trout good food?"** Delta asked out of the blue. **"It tastes good but…"**

" **Yes, it is a good source of protein."** Richard answered. He takes a final bite at the Trout before throwing the bare bones on the ground. **"And if you can, you might want to limit your diet to salmon."**

" **Why?"** Echo inquired. **"Longneck meat looks like good food."**

" **That's because we shouldn't hurt those that don't hurt us."** Richard gathered the young Deinonychus around him. **"Imagine you're just walking around and somebody comes around the corner to kill you. Do you like that?"**

Blue, Charlie, Delta and Echo all shook their heads, as if they were saying no.

" **That's my point. Nobody likes to die for no reason."** Richard explained. **"If we respect others, they will respect us. Gain a mutual understanding between species and only hunt fishes or those that hurt you, like the ones that killed your biological mom and dad. That does not mean we should commit genocide against the entire species."**

" **What is genocide?"** Charlie asked.

" **Genocide means killing off an entire individual species or race."** Richard answered. It was clear he didn't want the Deinonychus he raised to be bloodthirsty monsters. **"Just remember, only kill those that hurt you or anyone related to you, whether it'd be friends or family. Got it?"**

" **Yes daddy."** the four young Deinonychus said at once.

Just then, Charlotte walked over with Littlefoot.

" **Come over and join us,"** she offered. **"We have a lot of food."**

" **Yeah…"** Littlefoot noticed the discarded bones of Trout beside Richard and his adoptive children, indicating that they had been feasting on the fish. **"You eat meat?"**

" **I eat both meat and green stuff."** Richard answered before getting back up on his feet. **"Come along now, let's go regroup."**

Charlie, Delta and Echo got out of the water and shook their bodies dry before joining Richard and Blue, who were already waiting.

" **Lead the way."** Richard said to his 18th century counterpart.

Walking towards the rest of the herd with his four toothy adoptive sons, Richard chuckled as he watched Littlefoot and Charlotte nervously turning back to look at them every now and then.

Walking into a cluster of bare trees, they regroup with the rest of the young dinosaurs, who were feasting upon a rather large cluster of leaves on the ground. Though Cera was eating her share in a separate area.

" **What's with Cera?"** Richard asked.

" **I dunno…"** Littlefoot answered. **"She didn't want to join us for some reason."**

" **Grumpy as usual."** Blue commented.

Cera looked up at Blue and growled in annoyance while Richard chuckled. Finishing her meal, Cera walked over to her sleeping place as night was approaching.

" **I know my way to go…"** Cera wanted to separate Littlefoot and Richard from the rest of the herd in an attempt to establish herself as the new leader. **"Hmm, any of you trust a lone flathead or a human who loves Sharpteeth?"** she sneered.

Though Richard and Littlefoot both brushed off the harsh words which were clearly directed at them, it was still enough to convince the others to come sleep with her. Even Charlotte, who was usually trustful of Richard, went to Cera.

" **Dad, are they leaving us?"** Blue asked in a saddened tone.

" **No son, they're not."** Richard calmly answered. **"They just fell for that idiot's lie."**

Shaking his head, Richard jumped into Littlefoot's sleeping hole with the young predators.

" **Mind if I…"**

" **Not at all."** the young Apatosaurus replied.

Blue, Charlie, Delta, and Echo all gathered around Richard as he lit a small fire with his Illuminati powers.

" **Hey Richard, aren't they scary?"** Littlefoot asked.

" **Nope."** Richard checked the chamber of his Benelli M3 Tactical Shotgun to make sure it was loaded. It had been awhile since he'd done that and Richard wanted to be sure he wasn't running around with an empty weapon. **"All it takes is some time and you will begin to build trust. And by trust I mean an unshakable bond. You take care of each other like a family."**

" **Mother used to tell me every Sharpteeth pack had a leader."** Littlefoot said. **"So who's the leader?"**

" **You're looking at him, kid."** Richard winked at the little Apatosaurus. **"Blue is the second in command."**

Blue looked up at his adoptive father. Though he had always acted as the Second-In-Command of the pack, he never expected Richard to officially recognize him in that role.

Noticing the gesture from his adoptive son, Richard looked down at Blue. **"I never doubted your capabilities. Compared to the others, you are pretty matured and capable of leading the pack if something were to happen to me."**

" **Hey dad what about us?"** the other three Deinonychus spoke.

" **You all have been and always shall be…"** Richard replied using a modified version of Spock's quote from Star Trek: Wrath Of Khan. **"My loyal sons."**

Richard and his pack of four young Deinonychus hugged each other in a family embrace.

Seeing the scene unfold right in front of him, Littlefoot felt the thought of his mother returning to him. A frown returned to his face and a tear fell loosely off his left eye.

" **I miss my mom…"** Littlefoot muttered.

Before he knew what was going on, Littlefoot found himself being comforted by all four of the Deinonychus.

" **Maybe that song Daddy sung to us might help you."** Delta suggested. **"What was that song again?"**

" **Heh, one moment."** Richard replied.

Flicking his finger, Richard used his Illuminati powers to play the tune of "You Raise Me Up" in the background. The fifteen year old human male then cleared his throat and began singing.

 _When I am down and ooh my soul so weary,_

 _When troubles come and my heart burdened be._

 _And I am still await here in silence,_

 _Until you come and sit awhile with me_

 _You raise me up so I can stand on mountains,_

 _You raise me up to walk on stormy seas,_

 _I am strong when I am on your shoulders,_

 _You raise me up, to more than I can be._

 _There is no life- no life without its hunger,_

 _Each restless heart beats so imperfectly,_

 _But when you come and I am filled with wonder,_

 _Sometimes I think I glimpse eternity._

 _You raise me up so I can stand on mountains,_

 _You raise me up to walk on stormy seas,_

 _I am strong when I am on your shoulders,_

 _You raise me up, to more than I can be._

There was a short pause, and Richard wanted Littlefoot to feel better. **"This is a song dedicated to your mother. So tell her that you love her by singing the last two verses loudly!"**

Littlefoot took up the offer given to him by Richard and sang at the top of his lungs.

 _You raise me up so I can stand on mountains,_

 _You raise me up to walk on stormy seas,_

 _I am strong when I am on your shoulders,_

 _You raise me up, to more than I can be._

 _You raise me up so I can stand on mountains,_

 _You raise me up to walk on stormy seas,_

 _I am strong when I am on your shoulders,_

 _You raise me up, to more than I can be._

 _You raise me up…_

 _To more than I, can be._

Having finished the last verses of the song, Littlefoot felt better. He knew that his mother would be very proud of him that he sang the song loudly in her honor.

" **Wow, that was amazing Littlefoot."** the young Deinonychus complemented.

" **Thanks…"** Littlefoot answered.

" **Now you see, Littlefoot?"** Richard said. **"All it takes is some time, and you'll earn their trust. And when you do earn their trust don't screw it up because it is a one shot deal. Got it?'**

" **Yeah."** Littlefoot yawned, indicating that he was tired.

" **Get some rest everyone."** Richard gently commanded. **"We still have a long trip ahead of us."**

" **What about you?"** Echo asked. He could tell Richard wasn't expecting any sleep for himself.

" **I'm providing security."** Richard answered. **"Too many predators around these places and ensuring the safety of the young ones is a parent's number one priority."**

Without saying anything else, Richard got himself into the prone position and scanned the surroundings with his Benelli M3 Tactical Shotgun at the ready. Just then he felt something rub against his body. Looking to his left and right, he noticed his adoptive sons all cuddling around him for warmth.

" **Sleep tight, my little ones."** Richard smiled. The feeling of being a father warmed his heart greatly.

* * *

In a rather distant place, a large combined herd of dinosaurs came to a halt. Night had fallen and they were having difficulty seeing the road ahead. The leader of the herd, an elderly Apatosaurus, gave the order to stop and rest for the night.

" **We will move out at first light!"** he said. **"Sleep well."**

The elderly Apatosaurus walked over to join the rest of his family.

" **Still worried about Littlefoot, Aurelia?"** he asked a younger female who was clearly his daughter.

" **Yes father. I am very concerned about his safety."** the female replied. **"Littlefoot is out there all by himself with no one but possibly the two humans and that Three-horn. If Sharptooth ever finds them oh…"**

" **Hush now Aurelia."** an elderly female Apatosaurus comforted her. This was her mother. **"I'm sure Littlefoot is just fine."**

Unbeknownst to Littlefoot, his mother and grandparents had both survived the mayhem and destruction of the Earthquake. And they would soon have an emotional reunion.


	11. Ambushed And Separated

The sun rose over the horizon, illuminating the land with it's rays. Yet every member of the combined herd with the exception of Richard was still fast asleep. They were all exhausted from the long days of nonstop travelling. And Richard was barely holding on to his eyelids as they slide down to close every now and then.

Just then, a faint tremble of the ground jolted him fully awake once again. The trembles were slowly getting closer and Richard knew it could only mean one thing: Sharptooth was back.

" **Psst!"** Richard harshly nudged Blue to wake him up. **"Wake your ass up, we've got company."**

" **Huh?"** Blue drowsily rubbed his eyes and looked around. He saw nothing but the faint trembles proved that his adoptive father might be onto something. **"Sharptooth?"**

" **I don't know."** Richard answered. **"Wake your brothers and Littlefoot up. We need to move now."**

While Richard got himself into a defensive position, Blue walked over and quickly woke up the other Deinonychus and Littlefoot.

" **What's going on?"** Charlie asked.

" **Sharptooth."** Blue answered softly.

" **Sharptooth is dead, Blue."** Littlefoot said.

" **I've got a positive ID."** Richard pointed at a massive Tyrannosaurus Rex slowly approaching them in the distance. **"Sharptooth."**

Richard looked over to Cera's group and noticed that they were all still sleeping. **"Aw crap, we've gotta get em out."**

" **What do we do?"** Littlefoot asked.

" **I've got a plan and you're not gonna like it."** Richard sighed and pondered for an alternate option. But there was none that would work in the given situation. **"Blue, you're in charge for now. I'm dashing over to get them over here."**

" **Dad, no!"** Blue pleaded. **"You'll kill yourself."**

" **I'll be fine."** Richard assured. **"Now stay put for now while I get them over here."**

The fifteen year old human male got up from his defensive position and dashed towards Cera's group.

" **Wake up!"** Richard sent his foot into the young Triceratops' side, jolting her awake. **"Sharptooth incoming."**

Feeling the trembles approaching, Cera quickly woke up the others and together they ran over to Littlefoot's sleeping hole with Richard.

" **That way!"** Richard pointed in the direction of a small opening. **"Blue you take point!"**

" **What about you?"**

" **I'll bring up the rear."** Richard replied. **"Providing security."**

Snarling to rally the combined herd, Blue led them in a mad dash towards the small opening in the wall. The trembles grew more violent as Sharptooth had started to quicken his pace, having spotted the herd from a distance away.

Richard suddenly stopped and turned towards the giant beast.

" **Come at me!"** he taunted.

Sharptooth snarled, the human male was smaller than him yet he had the guts to taunt him like nothing. The behemoth charged towards the human, expecting to crush him in his jaws.

" **Dad!"** Blue yelled to his adoptive father.

" **Run son!"** Richard ordered. **"I'll be just fine."**

Reluctantly, Blue continued the run and proceeds through the opening with Charlotte and the young dinosaurs. Faint gunshots could be heard as Richard opened fire on the beast.

Then there was absolute silence. There weren't any roars or gunshot reports, and Blue felt the worse had come true. Turning back towards the cave, he spots his adoptive father casually strolling down.

" **Eight shots into that monster's face."** Richard exclaimed excitedly. **"He was bleeding from both nostrils and there were gunshot wounds all over his face. Just like chicken pox."**

Charlotte giggled at Richard's statement as she watched him and his toothy family hug each other in an emotional reunion.

" **Dad, don't do that again please."** Blue gently nudged his adoptive father.

" **Alright."** Richard looked around and noticed a large monolith which resembled an Apatosaurus. **"Large monolith that looks like an Apatosaurus. Interesting."**

" **Any idea where we're supposed to go?"** Charlotte asked.

" **This way."** Richard raised his hand and waved in a large horizontal circle to rally the herd. He had a gut feeling that the valley wasn't that far away. **"Shouldn't be that far away now."**

" **How would you know?"** Cera sneered. **"You're not a dinosaur."**

" **You don't need to be a dinosaur to know how to use your gut feeling, Cera."** Richard loaded 7 12 gauge slugs into his shotgun, these were the last of his ammunition supply for his shotgun. **"Listen up, pick your fights carefully. I only have 7 rounds left for my shotgun."**

" **Which means?"** Cera inquired further.

" **I'll have to transition to my pistol"** Richard answered. **"That means less protection."**

" **Now I know the disadvantage of 21st century guns."** Charlotte remarked. **"They exhaust their ammunition supply quickly."**

" **Depends on how you use it."** Richard replied. **"Come on now, let's move out!"**

* * *

Hoping to get as far away from Sharptooth as possible, the combined herd continued their long trek through the beyond. By now they were trudging through a sandy part of the land where ash fell from the sky like rain. Neither of them had paused in their long walk since the encounter and strain was evident on their faces. Ducky and Petrie had resorted to sitting on Spike while Richard cradled his four adoptive Deinonychus.

By now they were preparing to climb up a rocky cliff. Rugged terrain difficult even for an experienced outdoorsman like Richard.

" **Blue, Charlie, Delta, Echo. Can you guys climb this on your own?"** Richard asked as he laid his four adoptive Deinonychus on the ground. **"I need both my hands to be free."**

" **Sure."** Blue calmly replied.

Like athletes in a sports competition, the four young Deinonychus swiftly and gracefully jumped from one rock to the other as they made their way up. They soon created a huge gap between themselves and the others.

" **Your younglings sure know how to jump."** Charlotte remarked. **"Look at them, they're outpacing you."**

" **Ugh."** Richard groaned and panted. **"They are predatory dinosaurs after all."**

Just behind the two humans, Littlefoot urged the other young dinosaurs to push on despite the exhaustion.

" **What if the Great Valley is just over the top of these rocks?"** he said.

Motivated by Littlefoot's words, everyone pushed on up the hill. Slowly, they inched their way up and before long, they reached the top.

A sandstorm of sorts temporary blinded their vision but as it cleared. Everyone looked down from the hills and saw… Nothing. Absolutely nothing! There was nothing but barren wasteland. No lush greenery, no fresh water. Not even the sight of the adult dinosaurs walking around.

At that moment, Cera could no longer hold back her words and spoke her mind.

" **This is your Great Valley? You're crazy!"** she shouted. Her shouts echoed throughout the barren valley. **"I'm leaving!"**

" **But Cera,"** Littlefoot pleaded. **"We have to follow the way of the bright circle!"**

" **I'm taking the easy way for once!"** Cera scoffed.

" **But it's the wrong way!"** Littlefoot raised his voice.

" **Who said it?"**

" **My mother!"** Littlefoot replied.

" **Then she was probably a stupid flathead like you!"** Cera snobbishly replied.

While the two continued to argue, Richard was holding his own urge back. He wanted to break up the fight with his shotgun but he knew he had to conserve the remaining shells in his Benelli M3 Tactical Shotgun.

Suddenly, the two young dinosaurs tumbled into the valley below. The exchange of harsh words had turned into a fight. Richard snapped, he had always wanted a good excuse to whack Cera and this was a good one.

" **Enough of this!"** Richard slid down the cliff and swiftly maneuvered behind a rock with the young Deinonychus all in tow. **"Stay here, only attack on my command. Alright?"**

Looking down from the ridgeline above, Charlotte knew Richard wasn't going down to talk. She ran down the cliff after him, while also unintentionally taking Spike, Ducky and Petrie with her as Spike dragged the two young dinosaurs down with him out of curiosity.

But Charlotte had came too late to stop Richard, as he walked out into the midst of the fray.

" **Cera! You are a total dick."** Getting himself between Cera and Littlefoot, Richard planted his fist harshly into the young Triceratops' face. **"Insulting his mother and all."**

" **I am getting sick of you!"** Cera snarled. She charged at Richard but is quickly sent flying against a rock by his roundhouse kicks.

" **Time to go on the offensive."** Richard darkly muttered. He wanted to stab Cera in the sides but held off on the urge and instead tackles Cera to the ground.

Having immobilized the young Triceratops, Richard repeatedly kicked her and punched her in the head and sides. He then takes aim at her with his Benelli M3 Tactical Shotgun.

" **I'd rather put a bullet in your face than deal with your arrogance!"** he coldly snarled in anger.

" **Lower the gun!"** Charlotte yelled to Richard as she pointed her musket at him. **"Calm down now, let's sort this out peacefully."**

Richard sighed and lowered his shotgun before glaring angrily at Cera. **"Consider yourself lucky, asshole."**

With his shotgun slung in a "Over Strong Shoulder Carry" position, Richard returned to his adoptive Deinonychus sons. **"Let's move."**

Cera snorted and got back up to her feet before walking in the direction of her so called "Easy Way".

" **Go on! Go the wrong way! We never wanted you with us anyway!"** Littlefoot shouted at his foe.

" **Alright Littlefoot, you want me to lead or you take point?"** Richard asked.

" **You lead."** Littlefoot replied grumpily.

Slowly making his way back up the hill with Richard and the young Deinonychus pack, Littlefoot turned back to see Spike, Ducky and Petrie following Cera while also spotting Charlotte contemplating which way to go.

" **Something wrong, Littlefoot?"** Richard asked as he stopped for a moment to turn back. **"Traitors… All of them are traitors!"**

" **Then so be it!"** Littlefoot scowled at the ones following Cera. He felt betrayed that the ones he had called "friends" would ditch him in times like this.

" **Charlotte!"** Richard called out. **"Follow Cera's group. They need someone capable of defending them."**

" **But Richard!"** Charlotte called back. **"What about Littlefoot?"**

" **I can still cover him."** the fifteen year old assured his 18th century counterpart.

" **Okay, take care out there!"**

" **I will!"** Richard replied.

That was the last thing they've ever heard from the other group. While Charlotte quickened her pace to catch up with Cera's group, Richard led Littlefoot's group towards the Great Valley.

" **Why don't you follow Cera?"** Littlefoot scowled in frustration. **"It is EASIER!"**

" **Because nothing is easy in life."** Richard answered. **"Cera's way was wrong, and I know that. But I know you need a companion and a true friend."**

" **Why did you ask Charlotte to follow Cera if you knew she was wrong?"** Littlefoot asked.

" **Because I still care for her."** Richard looked over his shoulder and felt a great deal of worry. **"We have to turn back."**

" **What do you mean?"** Blue asked.

" **Listen, the path they're taking will eventually take them to the Great Valley."** Richard explained. **"But there is a catch."**

" **What sort of catch?"** Echo inquired further.

" **They have to traverse through dangerous terrain."** Richard turned sharply to his left and begins marching. **"We're going after them."**


	12. Changing Cera

" **...Are you kidding me?"**

" **No, I am not, Littlefoot!"**

Littlefoot and Richard were arguing over whether to turn back and help Cera's group or not. Richard favored helping the others while Littlefoot opposed it as Cera had insulted his mother.

" **Listen, we walked off on each other back there."** Richard said. **"I know Cera was an asshole but we should not have broke off like that!"**

" **But you heard what they said!"** Littlefoot protested. **"They'd rather go the easy way than the right way!"**

Tension rose between the two as they continued to argue. Watching on from the sidelines, Blue quickly took command of the Deinonychus pack and ordered his brothers to act only on his command in case things go south.

" **We are not a herd!"** Littlefoot shouted. **"None of us are the same species!"**

" **It's not about your species, Littlefoot."** Richard explained. **"And it isn't about your bloodline."**

" **Well what do you think it is about?"**

" **A herd is like a family."** Richard answered. **"It ain't about the bloodline, it's about the bond and trust you gain from each other. Like me and my four toothy sons, we aren't the same. But we became a pack because of our trust for each other. I am as much of a father to them as they are sons to me. The same applies for you and your friends."** The fifteen year old placed his finger on Littlefoot's heart. **"You are as much of a friend to them as they are to you. You be their true friend, they be yours."**

Littlefoot looked down at the ground with a guilty expression on his face. Having heard the human's words, he felt bad about leaving his friends to their fate. **"What should we do now?"**

" **It's still not too late."** Richard raised his hands and signalled to the young Deinonychus. **"On me, let's go."**

With Richard leading the way, Littlefoot and the pack of four young Deinonychus headed back towards Cera's group.

* * *

In the meantime, Cera and the others continued their trek through the "Easy Way" Cera had claimed. That claim soon proved to be false as they find themselves walking through dangerous terrain surrounded by erupting volcanoes, flowing rivers of lava, and tar pits.

" **I-I wish Littlefoot was here with us."** Ducky spoke in a stuttering pattern.

" **M-Me too."** Petrie added.

" **Don't worry, Richard is keeping him safe."** Charlotte assured.

Cera snorted, still angry about the human who almost killed her. She continued walking, not even bothering to look back and check on the others while Petrie continued to sit on her frill.

Spike eyes a small vine and stops to yank it out of the ground, much to Ducky and Charlotte's dismay.

" **Spike!"** Charlotte groaned.

" **Don't stop,"** Ducky tried to pull the vine out of Spike's mouth in an attempt to get him moving again. **"We have to stick together."**

Cera didn't seem to notice her comrades falling behind, not that she cared for them anyways. All Cera wanted was to be in the Great Valley to rejoin her family and be done with this trek. She continued walking while Petrie shivered in fear as he looked down.

Below them were tar pits and within the tar pits were bones from either Saurolophus or small Sauropods, evidence of the dangers posed by tar pits. Petrie suddenly lost his grip and fell but he managed to hang onto Cera's leg.

Then his luck ran out.

Walking over to a gap in the path, Cera jumped across and successfully made it to the other side but Petrie lost his grip in mid air and fell from the Triceratops' leg. He flapped his wings all over in a desperate attempt to fly before crashing into the tar pits below.

The young Pteranodon coughed and gasped for air as he struggled to stay afloat on the tar pit which was rapidly pulling him under.

* * *

Richard and Littlefoot arrived at the mountain range with the four Deinonychus in tow. Hearing the cries for help, Richard immediately starts giving orders and splitting the task.

" **Blue, you're in charge of the pack. Go find Charlotte and the others with Littlefoot."** Richard turned his attention on the young Apatosaurus. **"Just follow Blue's orders."**

" **Okay."** Littlefoot nodded.

" **I'll move ahead to see if anyone else needs help."** Richard gave the signal to move out. **"Alright let's move!"**

Richard raced towards the direction of Petrie's screams while Littlefoot and the young Deinonychus rushed over to Charlotte and the young dinosaurs, who were stuck on a rapidly sinking piece of rock over lava.

" **Littlefoot!"** Ducky yelled.

" **Hang on!"** Littlefoot pushed a jagged piece of rock with a flat surface out over the lava, allowing Charlotte and the young dinosaurs to cross over to the bank safely.

" **Thank you, Littlefoot."** Charlotte graciously thanked the young Apatosaurus.

" **Follow me!"** Blue shouted. **"Richard went this way!"**

Meanwhile, Richard spotted Petrie in the tar pits. Not wanting to get himself all stuck in goo or break gun safety rules by pointing the muzzle of his shotgun at the young Pteranodon, Richard grabbed his concealed ASP and extended it with a swift swinging motion.

" **Petrie! Grab on to my baton!"** Richard reached out with his baton. **"Grab on to it and I'll pull you out."**

Petrie spotted the baton and attempted to reach for it. Though the tar made it difficult for him to move around, he pushed on and eventually got ahold of the baton, and was safely pulled out of the goo.

The young Pteranodon took a few moments to catch his breath while Richard wiped the tar off him.

" **What happened?"** the human asked.

" **Cera jumped over pit and I fall off."** Petrie answered. **"But why you doing back here?"**

" **Tying up loose ends."**

A few moments later, Blue walked over with his pack and the others. Richard breathed a sigh of relief, everyone was okay and there was no scratches. Well, everyone except for Cera.

" **Where is Cera?"** Charlotte asked.

" **She went that way,"** Richard grinned as an evil and funny idea came to his mind. **"And I've got just the perfect thing."**

* * *

Cera panted and ran as a group Pachycephalosaurus actively hunted her down. Weaving and dodging her way through a cave, the young Triceratops desperately tried to get away but was soon cornered.

" **Help!"** she yelled.

The group of Pachycephalosaurus closed in on Cera and prepared to kill her when a weird tar black creature emerged with four Deinonychus accompanying it. The Pachycephalosaurus all took off running while Cera cowered behind her front legs, unable to move.

Reaching down with its "limb" the creature got ahold of Cera and lifted her up in the air, causing her to scream and plead for help.

" **Help!"** Cera screamed and closed her eyes in horror. **"Ducky, Spike, Petrie, Charlotte help!"**

" **Cera,"** a voice resembling Ducky's voice responded. **"It is US."**

Slowly opening her eyes, Cera could barely make out the faces of Littlefoot, Ducky and Petrie. A frown happened upon her face as they all burst out laughing.

Richard emerged from behind the "tar monster" and took command of the Deinonychus pack once again. **"Rally on me!"**

" **You sure do know how to make others laugh."** Charlotte emerged from behind a boulder.

" **Yeah…"** Littlefoot chuckled. **"This was great!"**

" **Told ya that Tar could be useful."** Richard smugly replied.

Cera, still hung in mid air by the tail, jerked herself out of the grip of Littlefoot's tail and fell into a tar puddle.

Richard facepalmed and chuckled. **"Looks like somebody wants to be the tar monster too."**

" **I knew it was you guys all along!"** Cera tried her best to defend her ego. **"I did."**

Nobody paid any attention to the young Triceratops' statement. Even the young Deinonychus began laughing in amusement at what just happened. Everyone felt a grim satisfaction, Cera the "brave" Triceratops was more of a scaredy cat than a brave fighter and the way she reacted to the whole thing amused everyone greatly.

" **Should've seen that look on her face."** Richard intentionally made a very poor attempt to imitate Cera's reaction. He used his funny accent for comedy purposes. **"Ahh, Harp!"**

" **Oh get out of my way!"** Cera grunted. As she wasn't looking where she was going, the young Triceratops slipped on a second tar puddle.

The others all snickered once again at the sight of Cera falling. Trying her best to hide her emotion, Cera held her nose up high and continued walking, only to slam hard against a stalagmite.

" **That's gotta hurt."** Richard impishly remarked before sharing a chuckle with the others.

Already broken at this point, Cera gave her usual snobbish remark and walked towards a waterfall.

The others continued to laugh while Littlefoot climbed off Spike.

" **Hey dad, can you do another Cera impression?"** Blue asked with a grin on his face.

Richard flailed his arms around and did a really bad impression on purpose, mostly for comedy reasons. **"Harp! Ducky, Spike, Petrie, Charlotte HARP! I'm abart to Jeez mahself."**

Everyone giggled at Richard's impression. He really was quite the comedy guy, doing bad impressions of other dinosaurs amongst other things.

Slowly, the laughter died down. Charlotte looked around for Cera but couldn't find the young Triceratops anywhere.

" **Cera?"** she called out. **"Cera!"**

" **I… think we might've been a bit too harsh on her."** Richard said in a guilty tone.

" **What do you mean by harsh."** Blue asked his adoptive father. **"She had it coming, like you said."**

" **Yeah, but I think we went too far."** Richard explained. **"I think we hurt more than just her ego. I think we hurt her feelings."**

At that moment everyone turned towards the fifteen year old human. The same individual that gave Cera the vicious pummeling was now sympathizing with her.

" **Well, what should we do?"** Ducky asked.

" **Someone represent all of us and go apologize."** Richard answered. **"And that representative is me."**

" **Richard are you out of your mind?"** Charlotte stopped her 21st century counterpart. **"After that beating back there? I think you're the last person she wants to see."**

" **Blue, take command of the pack."** Richard once again said to his adoptive Deinonychus son. It was obvious he was ignoring Charlotte's words. **"I was the one who orchestrated the entire thing. That means I should be the one to apologize."**

" **What if she kills you?"** Delta asked.

" **Then Blue will be in command of this whole operation."** Richard reached into his back pocket and grabbed his secondary compass before handing it over to Blue. **"Take this, if things go south you lead them to the valley. Understood?"**

" **Yes daddy."** Blue replied.

Without further ado or words, Richard leaped over the ledge and walked towards the waterfall to reconcile with Cera. Guilt stabbed his heart like a sharpened dagger as he noticed that the young Triceratops was actually sobbing with tears flowing from her eyes.

Slowly, the fifteen year old male human approached Cera. She whipped around and though her expression didn't change much, Richard could tell she wasn't very happy to see him.

" **What do you want?"** she scoffed, trying to hold back her emotions.

" **Just checkin to make sure you were okay."** Richard answered.

" **I'm fine!"** Cera replied.

" **No you're not."** Richard sat down beside the Triceratops. **"You're emotionally hurt."**

Cera buried her face behind her front paws, too ashamed to even look at the human. Seeing this, Richard comforted the young Triceratops. Looking over at her sides, he could still see the bruises left by him during the confrontation earlier.

" **Sorry about that beating earlier."** Richard placed his hand on Cera's back. **"That bruise there still hurts?"**

" **Three-horns never get hurt."** Cera bitterly answered.

" **Cera, everyone gets hurt."** Richard pulled up the sleeves of his shirt to reveal the long scar running the length of his hand. **"Even I do."**

Cera looked up at Richard and noticed that his eyes were watery and tears were flowing down from his eyes. Seeing no response from the Triceratops, Richard sighed.

" **I get it."** Richard wiped away his tears. **"You hate me because of that beating."**

" **I don't hate you."** Cera replied.

" **You don't?"**

The young Triceratops shook her head in response.

" **Then why are you treating me as if I were your enemy?"** Richard asked.

" **I saw you handle four Sharpteeth like nothing."** Cera looked up at the fifteen year old. **"I'm just jealous at the fact you can control them."**

Richard chuckled and patted Cera on the back. **"It's not about control. It's a relationship."**

" **What do you mean?"**

" **You don't just go around controlling predatory dinosaurs. It just doesn't happen that way."** Richard explained. **"You need to earn their trust, gain their respect. These four young ones trust me because I took them in after their parents died. I treated them like sons of my own, never once did I leave them out on anything. Similarly, you should learn to respect others. Remember you insulted Littlefoot's Mother back there? Ya know why he was so worked up about it?"**

" **No."** Cera answered.

" **His mother died in the Earthquake."** Richard replied.

Cera lowered her head, feeling ashamed for her actions. At this moment, she realized that her foolish mistakes were the main reason the group was constantly having strained relationships.

" **It's okay though."** Richard smiled. **"All it takes is a word of apology."**

" **My dad told me different herds never did anything together."** Cera said. **"Is it appropriate?"**

" **There are some old taboos we should drop and being a speciesist is one of them"** The human male got back up onto his feet. **"Come on now, all it takes is an apology."**

Slowly, the Triceratops got back onto her feet and followed Richard back towards the herd.

" **Sorry for calling you an asshole."** Richard apologized. **"I can let my mouth run wild at times…"**

" **It's okay…"** Cera glared at Richard's shotgun, she still remembered him saying something about ammunition supply. **"Were you joking when you say you were out of extra shells?"**

" **No, I was not."** Richard sighed, he wished he'd brought along a rifle instead of a shotgun. **"Only seven rounds left, then I'm down to my pistol."**

" **Let's just hope Sharptooth isn't around."**

After a few minutes of walking, the two find the other members of the herd enjoying themselves in a pond of sorts. The tar on their body had been washed away and they were just enjoying the cool water. As usual, the four young Deinonychus were playing around with each other.

Cera walked over to Littlefoot with a guilty look on her face. **"Sorry for insulting your mother and hurting you. I take back what I said before."**

" **It's okay."** Littlefoot replied.

In the meantime, Richard walked over to the four young Deinonychus, who were enjoying themselves in the water.

" **Enjoying yourselves?"**

" **Dad!"** they all shouted at once.

" **Sharptooth!"** Petrie suddenly shouted.

Quickly scanning the area with his shotgun at the ready, Richard spots the massive behemoth searching for them on top of a cliff. And this time, he had two henchmen.

" **Looks like he's got reinforcement."** Since he has yet to chamber a round into his Benelli M3 Tactical Shotgun, Richard switched the fire mode to pump action and pumped the weapon with a menacing look on his face. **"Let's go get this sonofabitch and end his reign of terror once… and for all."**


	13. The Tyrant King's End

" **Blue, you're in charge of Raptor Squad."** Richard pointed towards a massive boulder. **"Get your brothers and the others out. Plan A is I blast them to bits, plan B is we push this boulder down on his head. And Plan B is only to be executed in the event I get KIA. Understood?"**

" **Yes Daddy!"** Blue answered.

" **Charlotte!"**

" **Yes Richard?"**

" **Use your musket to plink away at those two Utahraptors in case they get too close."** Richard checked the chamber of his Benelli M3 Tactical shotgun for the final time. **"I will be kicking some serious ass."** He raised his hand and yelled. **"Get into position!"**

While Blue led the others towards the boulder, Richard charged headlong into the two Utahraptors. Making eye contact, he instantly knew who they were.

" **Well well well, if they aren't the two my sons mentioned."** Richard took aim at one of the two Utahraptors. **"Rainier and Albatross."**

The two Utahraptors snarled at the human and charged towards him at full speed. With his shotgun fire mode reset to semi-auto, Richard opened fire and quickly downed Rainier with a single 12 gauge slug. But before he could swing his weapon at Albatross, the Utahraptor tackled him to the ground and disarmed him of his weapon.

" **Shit!"** Richard rolled away and got behind a small boulder just as Albatross fired at him with the shotgun. Being one of the most intelligent of theropods, it came as no surprise to Richard that Albatross would know how to use such a weapon. **"Pistol time."**

Jumping out of his cover, Richard fired his Sig Sauer P226 MK25 and eliminated Albatross with a "Mozambique drill"(two rounds center mass and one round to the head).

" **Well that was easy…"** Richard had a sudden bad feeling. The battle was surprisingly one sided and without the two henchmen, he could quickly give double middle fingers to Sharptooth and eliminate him with the Illuminati's powers. As he turned around to face the behemoth, his worse fear was realized. **"Something's wrong… They're communicating."**

A shocked expression could be seen on Richard's face. Right in front of him, Sharptooth was communicating with the four young Deinonychus. Looking carefully at Sharptooth, Richard realized what he was.

" **Sharptooth ain't no Tyrannosaurus Rex…"** Quickly flipping through the small dinosaur reference book he kept in his rear pocket. Richard found that Sharptooth had similar characteristics to the fictional Indominus Rex of Jurassic World. **"He's an Indominus Rex… That thing should have NEVER existed."** The human paused for a few moments to compose himself. **"I didn't travel back in time, I'm in an alternate realm."**

Before he knew what was going on, Richard suddenly found himself surrounded by Blue, Charlie, Delta and Echo, his four toothy Deinonychus sons. And they were not happily smiling at him.

" **Blue… We're cool right?"** Richard nervously asked.

No response from either of the young Deinonychus apart from the snarls. Just then, Blue leaped into the air and tackled his adoptive father to the ground. Richard managed to break free, but not before suffering several rather severe slash wounds in the sides and belly.

Echo quickly followed up Blue's attack with a swift kick, sending Richard off his feet and scarring him twice across the back. Delta bit a chunk of flesh off Richard's right leg while Charlie slashed Richard in his right hand, reopening the old scar he suffered in a previous ambush.

Though he could've retaliated, Richard refused to kill any of the young Deinonychus.

Puzzled, Blue temporarily stopped the attack and walked over to his adoptive father. **"Why aren't you hurting us?"**

" **Because you are my sons."** Richard groaned and sat upright with his back against a small boulder. **"I'm not gonna fight you."**

The human threw his Sig Sauer P226 MK25 pistol and M7 bayonet on the ground to emphasize his point. **"You have been, and always shall be…"** Richard groaned in pain. **"My loyal sons."**

Watching blood flow from his adoptive father's wounds, Blue suddenly felt remorseful for his actions. He and his pack had hurt and nearly killed the one individual that has raised them and cared for them after the deaths of their parents.

The young Deinonychus roared to his pack and ordered them to stand down. They all ran over to their adoptive father's side.

" **I don't blame you for anything."** Richard wiped the blood off his mouth. **"You guys are after all, wild animals. Sooner or later you're gonna need to go hunt. And Blue, you make one hell of a leader."**

" **Does it still hurt?"** Blue asked in a guilty tone. **"The wounds."**

" **Wounds always hurt."** the human answered. **"But the fact that you guys attacked me like that shows that you are capable hunters. Though your loyalty percentage to me has wavered, that does not mean I don't trust you anymore."**

The four young Deinonychus all looked down at their adoptive father with guilt. Seeing this, Sharptooth approached them. The behemoth snarled and ordered the four to terminate their adoptive father.

Blue snarled in defiance. He leaped onto the back of the massive predator and began tearing pieces of flesh off him. Sharptooth roared in pain and violently shook his body, sending the young Deinonychus against the side of the cliff. The other Deinonychus all snarled in anger, having seen their Alpha go down in the fight against the massive behemoth. All of them attacked Sharptooth at once, leaping onto his back and tearing pieces of flesh violently off him.

Despite their relentless and tight grip, Sharptooth shook them all off and proceeded towards Blue, aiming to finish the young Alpha, when Richard called out to him.

" **Hey asshole, your ass is terminated."** Sharptooth turned towards Richard and snarled at him. The human merely smiled and raised both of his middle fingers. **"Fuck you."**

At that instant, Sharptooth exploded into a million pieces. Looking down from the ledge while standing behind the boulder, Charlotte and the young dinosaurs all gasped in shock. How could two middle fingers possibly cause a massive predator to blow up?

Powering through his pain, Richard rushed over to Blue, who was lying in shallow water with his face under.

" **Blue?"** Richard held the head of the young Deinonychus above the surface and nudged him hard. **"Wake up Blue!"**

" **Ugh…"** Blue groaned and snorted water from his nose. **"Dad? Is Sharptooth dead?"**

" **He's literally resting in pieces."** Richard cradled the young Deinonychus in his hands and walked over to the rest of the predator pack. **"Don't worry about Blue, he's safe."**

The other Deinonychus all gathered around Richard as he collapsed back on the ground. Delta's attack on his leg was more than just a nibble.

" **Daddy!"** they all shouted simultaneously.

" **Delta…"** Richard decided to lighten up the mood a bit. **"I told you not to give me any more love nibbles."**

" **It's not funny, dad."** Delta nuzzled his father with a guilty look. **"You're hurt."**

Charlotte and the young dinosaurs rushed down from the ledge to join Richard and his toothy pack.

" **My parents are definitely asking why** **I have all this."** Richard chuckled. **"I'm expecting my mother to faint and my father to scream."**

" **Even when you're hurt, you still laugh."** Charlotte sneered.

Richard took off his shirt and wrapped it around the wound. For a moment, the fifteen year old looked like the main character from the movie "Commando" as he stood up wearing nothing but his tactical vest.

" **Richard you look…"** Charlotte giggled as she looked on at her 21st century counterpart. **"Macho."**

Richard blushed. **"Well somebody has to be the badass every now and then."**

Retrieving his weapons, Richard rallied the combined herd once again as they head towards a cave to rest for the day.

* * *

Using his Illuminati powers once again, Richard lit a small fire to warm the herd as night settled in. Apart from the water dripping off the stalagmites of the cave, there was absolute silence.

" **Finally,"** Richard broke the silence. **"That hideous beast is dead. Buried under the pond in a million pieces."**

" **I'm puzzled."** Charlotte, like the other members of the herd, were puzzled as to why Sharptooth suddenly exploded when no explosives or TNT was involved. **"How did you blow him up without explosives?"**

" **Illuminati grants us a lot of things."** Richard explained. **"Before I came to this land, I found out giving the middle finger makes things explode. So I thought double middle fingers would make a spectacular boom."**

" **So basically what you're saying is,"** Charlotte paused to contain her emotions, though she did let a slight chuckle get under her nose. **"Giving them the finger, blows them up?"**

" **Yeah."**

Blue naughtily gave the finger at Delta while he(Delta)pretends to explode like Sharptooth did.

" **Knock it off, Blue."** Richard warned. **"The finger is used for insults, not for play time."**

" **Okay…"** Blue looked at his father's wound as the sense of guilt returned to him. **"Sorry about that…"**

" **No hard feelings against you my son,"** Richard's words were, in actuality, directed at four of his adoptive Deinonychus sons. **"That's your nature and you acted on instinct. Though you may have betrayed me, I'm not mad."**

" **I hope your mom isn't too angry about this."** Charlotte remarked.

" **Oh she won't be."** Richard grinned. **"She'll just faint."**

" **It's been a long journey…"** Littlefoot spoke. **"We've been through so many dangers, separated due to arguments. Yet we came back for each other, and now with Sharptooth dead, we can rest peacefully knowing he won't be around to stalk us in the night."**

Everyone nodded in agreement with Littlefoot's statement. Just then, Spike yawned to give an indication that he was tired.

" **I think Spike has the right idea."** Ducky sleepily said.

" **Yeah, we should probably get some sleep."** Littlefoot added. **"The journey is still not yet over."**

They all huddled together for warmth near the fire. Richard checked the chamber of his Sig Sauer P226 MK25 and prepared to assume his night guard duty when Blue nudged him.

" **You sleep, dad."** he insisted. **"I'll be on watch."**

" **Alright then."** Richard groaned as he accidentally touched one of his wounds. **"If you see anything big, don't go off chasing it. Warn us."**

" **I will."**

With a smile on his face, Richard laid his head on the ground and closed his eyes, dozing off to dreamland.


	14. Discovery Of The Great Valley

Using his now empty Benelli M3 Shotgun as a walking stick, Richard slowly stumbled out of the cave, the injuries to his leg still stinging rather badly.

Exiting the cave, the fifteen year old spotted his toothy adoptive son looking over the horizon at the slowly rising sun.

" **Mornin' blue."**

Blue noticed his adoptive father stumbling out and walked over to help him. **"Good morning dad. Come, let me help you."**

" **Eh, it's okay Blue."** Richard took in a deep breath of fresh air. **"I'm still walking. Just out here to catch the breeze and sunrise."**

Watching the sun rise over the horizon in the direction of the path they had taken, the two felt a sense of accomplishment. Despite all they've been through, they were still together.

Just then, a question popped up in Blue's mind.

" **Dad…"**

" **Yes, Blue?"**

" **Are there dinosaurs?"** Blue asked. **"From where you come from?"**

" **Well, promise me not to freak out. Alright?"** Richard said.

" **Okay…"** Blue replied in a confused tone.

" **Well…"** the human took a deep breath before continuing. **"Dinosaurs in my world are extinct. What that means is that they are all well, er… dead."**

Hearing this, Blue backed away a few steps in shock.

" **We humans know about dinosaurs though the help of those known as Paleontologists."** Richard explained. **"I myself am aspiring to be a paleontologist. And what Paleontologists do is study creatures that have lived in the past by digging up fossils or bones that have been buried under for a long time."**

" **You mean…"** Blue nervously asked. **"Dinosaurs here will go extinct too?"**

" **I doubt it."** Richard knew he wasn't back in time. There was enough proof here to suggest that it was merely an alternate realm. The realm of dinosaurs. **"I think this is an alternate realm, because back in my world Apatosaurus and Triceratops never met each other. And on top of that, Sharptooth's species should NOT have existed. Indominus Rex was a fictional hybrid created for a movie called Jurassic World and yet we just killed one. I think this is merely a realm created by the powers of the Illuminati for the purpose of the artifact holders to come and explore at their own risk."**

" **You mean, I'm created by the Illuminati too?"** Blue inquired further.

" **Yes."** Richard answered. **"But due to the Illuminati's amazing abilities, you are all coded to real specifications with the exception that you behave slightly differently and have the ability to talk."** The human looked at his scars once again before turning his attention back to his adoptive son. **"No need to tell the others about it, right?"**

" **Well, maybe not the leaf eaters."** Blue replied. **"But since my brothers are part of my pack, I think we should tell them some time in the future."**

" **Alright."**

Before long, the others emerged from the cave and joined the two.

" **You're up early."** Charlotte yawned and stretched her arms. **"So, when are we moving out?"**

" **Rally! We're headed out."** Richard shouted and waved his hand in large horizontal circles to signal for the herd to rally. **"I don't think I can use my walking stick and navigate at the same time. Blue you have my secondary compass, you lead the way."**

Grabbing the secondary compass given to him by his adoptive father Richard, Blue led the combined herd westwards, towards the Great Valley.

Before long, they walked through a cave like entrance and reached the other side, which appeared to be a dead end covered by fog. Slowly, sunlight pierced through the fog as it slowly began to dissipate and disappear.

Low and behold, the place of many wonders, the paradise of the land claimed by many, the purpose of the combined herd's journey, was right in front of them. It was The Great Valley.

" **Littlefoot, I think you found it!"** Richard exclaimed.

" **We did it! We did it together!"** Littlefoot shouted in excitement.

Just then, Petrie landed on Littlefoot's head. Somehow, someway, the young Pteranodon had overcome his fear of heights and had learnt to fly.

" **How did you learn to fly, Petrie?"** Charlotte asked.

" **I don't know!"** Petrie laughed with glee. **"But I am true flyer!"**

Running across a stream, Ducky rushes into the arms of her mother, colliding with her and sending both of them into the water. But it did not matter, they were happy to see each other again. Spike was embraced by Ducky's siblings, they hugged him dearly as he gave a goofy smile.

Petrie flew towards a nest in the trees where he reunites with his mother and siblings.

" **Mother!"** he exclaimed. **"I am flyer!"**

Petrie's mother and his siblings watch in awe as Petrie demonstrates his new found wing strength. He blows them all away with the massive draft created by his wings flapping and he nearly lifts his mother off the branch. Finishing off with a twirl, Petrie lands in the embrace of his proud mother, who hugs him dearly.

In the meantime, Topsy(Cera's father)looks out over the valley from a small ridge when he hears the voice of a young female Three-Horn, a very familiar voice at that. Looking in the direction of the voice, Topsy sees his long lost daughter Cera running up to him.

" **Daddy!"** Cera shouted from the distance.

" **Cera?"** Topsy responded.

Cera ran up to her father and nuzzled him lovingly. **"Daddy…"**

Laughter can be heard throughout the Great Valley as the adult dinosaurs gradually reunite with their long lost children. Littlefoot, carrying Charlotte on his back, ran over to three Apatosaurus. Two of them were his grandparents and the third was his mother, who he thought had died.

" **Grandpa! Grandma!"** An expression of shock could be seen on the young Apatosaurus' face as he looks into the eye of his mother. **"Mom! You're alive! All of you are safe!"**

" **Littlefoot!"** all there Apatosaurus lovingly nuzzled the young Littlefoot.

" **How did you make it here?"** Littlefoot's Mother Aurelia, asked.

" **Charlotte and Rich…"** Littlefoot looked around and noticed Richard was nowhere to be seen. **"Charlotte, where is Richard?"**

" **I don't know…"** Charlotte looked around but she too could not find her 21st century counterpart anywhere in the valley. **"Richard! Where are you!"**

" **Over here!"** Richard shouted from behind a cluster of bushes. **"You know how my wounds hurt, right?"**

Emerging from the bushes, the fifteen year old not only stunned the three adult Apatosaurus by the sheer numbers of wounds and scars on him, but he also stunned them with the pack that was following him.

" **Rally on me!"** Richard raised his hand and waved them in large horizontal circles. At that moment, the four young Deinonychus namely, Blue, Charlie, Delta, and Echo rallied behind him. **"Greetings, I am Richard Leatherman. Raptor Whisperer."**

Charlotte and Littlefoot giggled while Richard shot the three adults a playful wink.

" **You were different from when I last saw you."** Aurelia craned her head over to Richard, and inspected his wounds. Some were minor while some looked bad. **"Do any of these hurt?"**

" **All wounds hurt, ma'am."** Richard answered. **"But one thing, the feeling of pain goes away when these four are around me."**

" **I never knew humans could control Sharpteeth."** Grandpa Longneck remarked.

" **Depends on what "Sharpteeth" you're talking about."** the human replied. **"Big ones like Sharptooth? Don't bother trying. Smaller ones like these Deinonychus are fairly intelligent and you can gain their trust if you do it right."** Richard rubbed all four Deinonychus on the forehead. **"They are orphans, parents died after being killed by two Utahraptors named Rainier and Albatross. I took em in and raised them like sons of my own."**

Hearing Richard's statement, the three adult Apatosaurus craned their heads down and looked at the pack of Deinonychus. By the looks of it, they weren't exactly fully grown but their claws told them they were capable of hunting.

" **Don't worry about them hurting you or the young ones."** Richard assured. **"I taught them only to eat fish or small reptiles since their size makes that sustainable, and to only hurt those that hurt them."**

" **Well, have they hurt anyone?"** Grandpa Longneck asked out of curiosity.

" **Only one,"** Richard answered. Though the four had nearly killed him, he planned to keep it a secret. **"That would be Sharptooth."**

" **Hey, you killed him though."** Blue reminded.

" **What? That middle finger trick?"** Richard shot a smug look at Blue. **"Remember not to do it, alright?"**

" **Whatever you say,"** Blue nuzzled his adoptive father in the side. **"Dad."**

* * *

A few hours later, the young dinosaurs were running around in the Great Valley together. Richard joined in from time to time despite his injuries, all he really wanted was to spend some time with his four adoptive Deinonychus. The shouted and laughed in glee as they chased each other around. No longer did they have to worry about hunger or being stalked by predators. Everything they needed was in the valley and all the members of the combined herd were enjoying themselves together.

Well, almost everyone.

Charlotte was using her Illuminati powers to build a shack for herself to stay in the valley. As she had no family in the 18th century after her father and mother had perished due to war and disease respectively, Charlotte was planning to stay in the realm of dinosaurs.

Noticing a shack with a small farm, Richard and his pack of Deinonychus walked over to investigate with the young dinosaurs in tow.

" **Quite an operation you've got going here, Charlotte."** Richard said. **"Aren't you going back to our world?"**

" **No thanks. I have no family back home anyways."** Charlotte replied. **"I may be a year younger than you, that does not mean I can't be independent."**

" **True."** Richard nodded in agreement.

" **Richard…"** Littlefoot asked. **"Are you going back to your world?"**

" **Illuminati allows me to travel back and forth."** Richard looked over at the four Deinonychus. **"And I'm bringing the kids with me."**

" **We're going to your world?"** Blue asked excitedly.

" **Yes."** Richard rubbed his second in command gently on the forehead. **"I wouldn't leave my sons behind now would I?"**

" **When will you guys be back?"** Cera asked.

" **Soon."** Richard calmly answered. He rallied the young Deinonychus beside him. **"Alright, in three, two, one."**

In an instant, Richard his four toothy sons disappeared in a bright pillar of light.


	15. Home

Emerging in a pillar of light, Richard and his four adoptive Deinonychus sons returned back to the 21st century. They find themselves standing in the backyard of Richard's house.

Having never seen human development before, Blue, Charlie, Delta and Echo looked around in amazement. Though there were trees, most of the land was dominated by houses and areas for human beings to live.

Just then, Richard's father emerged from the house and noticed his son and the four Deinonychus.

" **Richard!"** Jackson looked at his son. He was all torn up with scars all over his body. On top of that he was surrounded by four creatures which reminded him of dinosaurs. **"What happened to you, and where did you find these creatures?"**

" **I tried out the Illuminati's powers."** Richard explained. **"I uhm… travelled to a different realm where dinosaurs existed."**

" **You were armed! How did you get battered up so badly?"** Jackson continued to question his son.

" **Raptors, those things love to ambush."** Richard used the slang "Raptor" so his father could understand better. He also kept a secret the fact the four Deinonychus behind him were the ones to blame. **"I lowered my guard too much and they came."**

" **And what about these four?"** Jackson inquired further. **"Are they Raptors too?"**

" **Yeah."** Richard shot his father a smug look. **"And guess what, I'm the Alpha."**

" **Nonsense."** Jackson remarked.

To prove his point, Richard raised his hand and waved it in a large horizontal circle. Within seconds of seeing Richard's gesture, all four Deinonychus rallied behind him.

" **See that?"**

" **Okay, now I believe you."** Jackson looked at the four Deinonychus very carefully. Though he wasn't very knowledgeable about dinosaurs, he could tell that they were still not full grown and they did look kinda cute. **"Alright, you can keep them. Just don't make them steal food."**

" **All it takes is a trip to the river nearby."** Richard assured. **"Taught them how to fish."**

Jackson nodded his head. **"Come on in, I'll patch you up and find them a place to sleep."**

* * *

Richard grinded his teeth and flinched as his father Jackson applied antiseptics to the cuts. Though some of them had already healed, the more recent ones were still fresh with blood, especially the one left behind by Delta's bite.

" **And you said it wouldn't hurt."** the fifteen year old flinched once again as he felt the sting of antiseptics and water hitting the wound. **"Jesus! Don't they have a better way of doing this?"**

Seeing their adoptive father in such pain, the four young Deinonychus gathered around Richard and comforted him as Jackson continued to clean up the last wounds.

" **Done."** Jackson announced.

Richard breathed a sigh of relief. **"That seemed like eternity."**

" **Where do you want the four to sleep?"** Jackson asked his son.

" **In my room."** Richard got up from his seat and led the young dinosaurs to his room with Jackson following them. **"They are my adoptive sons after all."**

" **What do you mean by that?"** Jackson shot his son a puzzled look. Not once has Richard ever mentioned anything about the four being adopted.

" **Well, I found them just sitting there crying beside the bodies of their parents who were killed trying to defend them."** Richard explained. **"Couldn't bear to leave them so I took them in."**

" **And now you're their Alpha."** Jackson replied.

" **And now you and mom are their adoptive grandparents."**

" **Ow…"** Jackson raised his eyebrow. **"Looks like I'm the old man now."**

" **Hey look on the bright side!"** Richard smiled. **"At least their adoptive great grandparents are older."**

Richard and his father both shared a chuckle while the young Deinonychus all settled in to their new home.

* * *

There was an awkward silence in the Leatherman house. Apart from the occasional sound of someone using eating utensils and soft music coming from the house speakers, there was silence. The Leatherman's were having their first dinner together with four Cretaceous period creatures with similar intelligence.

With a mouthful of fish, Blue broke silence.

" **Interesting way you guys eat."** he said.

" **Yes,"** Richard reached his hand out and placed it on Blue's mouth. **"Swallow it before you speak. It's manners."**

" **Okay…"** the young Deinonychus obediently replied.

Jackson and Teresa both chuckled, their son was just like them, looking after the young ones. Only difference was they only had to look after Richard while Richard had to look after four potentially naughty Deinonychus.

" **Now that you've taught them how to talk and a little about table manners."** Teresa sneered playfully. **"What's next? Teaching them how to swim?"**

" **They already know that."** Richard answered. **"Probably gonna take them shooting. Just imagine four Deinonychus, each armed with a rifle. How badass is that?"**

" **They aren't big enough yet…"** Jackson remarked.

" **Probably stick to 22 cal handguns for now."** Richard turned his head towards Blue. **"I know you wanna shoot, right?"**

Blue nodded his head excitedly.

" **I wonder what John will say about this."** Delta grinned. **"I'm guessing he'll not say a word and jeez himself."**

Everyone laughed. Though Delta was clearly joking, there was some truth to it. John once nearly jeezed himself when Richard surprised him with a fake Deinonychus. Having real Deinonychus around him? No words were needed to explain what would happen next.

" **Anyways Richard, that realm of yours."** Jackson took a bite at his fish fillet before continuing. **"What are you calling it?'**

" **In Einem Land Vor Unsere Zeit."** Richard answered in German. **"In English it means The Land Before Time. I'm naming it in honor of Don Bluth's The Land Before Time."**

" **I think that name fits wonderfully."** Teresa nodded in agreement with her husband.

* * *

Having finished his dinner, Richard returned to his room and began making quick notes about his adventures and about Deinonychus. He didn't want be a typical Paleontologist, he wanted to be a Paleontologist specializing in Dromaeosauridae and Deinonychus seemed like a good start.

" **Hmm, okay…"** Many scientists have speculated about Deinonychus having feathers due to the fact that smaller Dromaeosauridae possessed them. But now with his four toothy sons to get a head start, Richard knew for sure at least the male Deinonychus had no feathers of any type. **"Male Deinonychus, no feathers…"**

" **What are you doing?"** Blue pointed towards Richard's notebook.

" **Like I told you earlier, I'm planning to be a Paleontologist."** Richard answered. **"Thanks to you guys, I've gathered a lot more information in a week or so than the others have from decades of digging up bones."**

Just then, the other Deinonychus came into the room and shut the door. Expressions of guilt and remorse could be seen on their faces.

" **Something wrong?"** Richard asked.

" **Sorry…"** Delta motioned towards the bite mark on Richard's right leg. **"Grandpa told us that could've easily put your leg out of commission."**

Richard chuckled, this was the first time either of them had referred to his father as "Grandpa". **"I don't blame you, I don't blame any of you for the things you've done. All that matters now is that we're safe and sound without the need to be in fear of predators."**

Blue, Charlie, Delta and Echo all hugged their adoptive father, as if they were silently saying sorry.

" **Shh…"** Richard comforted all four of his adoptive Deinonychus sons. **"It's okay, I don't blame any of you."**

" **Dad, what do you plan to do next?"** Blue asked.

Richard said nothing at first and instead played the "Jurassic World Suite" theme on his computer. He then looked up to the sky from his window and pondered for a few moments.

" **Something grand…"** the human slowly muttered. **"Something marvelous."**

" **Would we ever get to see Littlefoot and the others again?"** Delta questioned.

" **Yes we will."** Richard calmly answered.

" **When?"**

" **Soon."**

Richard's answer earned him looks of confusion from his adoptive sons. Though they would have many more adventures with the other members of the combined herd still in the "In Einem Land Vor Unsere Zeit" realm, for the time being at least, they had other much more important matters to tend to.


End file.
